On The Arrow
by I.M. Elizabeth
Summary: Sometimes, the arrow of love is dipped in poison too. That's what Erin Blogger learns when she meets the head of the mafia and begins to see the arrow a young woman has fired into his heart. Mello/OC **COMPLETED**
1. Hell

_**A/N: **I obtained permission from WhiteLadyDragon to write this fiction after she had read Memory Serves. She had asked what Erin Blogger's life might have been like if she had perhaps never met L and gotten so tangled up in the Kira case, so knowing me, I just had to wonder what would happen if Mello took Erin hostage. **Also, please note that the events regarding Erin and L have never happened in this fanfiction. They have never met.**_

**On the Arrow**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Death Note in any way, shape or form. I also do not own the character Erin Blogger who belongs to WhiteLadyDragon. However I do own the situations entitled here and the character Layla Levandi. Please do not use her without my permission.

**Chapter One –** Hell

The very first thing Erin Blogger could remember was the distinct taste of metal in her mouth. The coldness pressed tight against her tongue and every time she inhaled, the taste of bitter sulfur was on her mouth. It choked her, burning her throat and she coughed against the intruding object that had been placed on her lips.

"What do you know?" a voice said calmly, and she was suddenly reminded of velvet because that's what this voice sounded like, velvet. But, it sent a cold shiver down her spine, like ice cold water.

She opened her eyes and stared up at the man who's gun was in her throat. The shadows in the room were dark and the faint light from a dangling lightbulb only illuminated half of his face. She was surprised by how angelic he looked with his long blond hair and blue eyes that looked like the beginning of daybreak.

The clink of the metal against her teeth is the only sound in the room as the blond man slid his gun out of her mouth in a way that seemed both slow, and deliberate.

"You're a reporter for the LA Sun, are you not?" he asked quietly in that smooth velvet voice.

She hung her head, light brown strands of hair dangling in front of her eyes. Erin couldn't stand to look up and see the harsh lightbulb light reflected on the man's pale skin. She shut her eyes and gave out a slow shuddering gasp, "Yeah."

When the man leaned over and wiped his gun off on her shirt she could see the faint outline of a cross on the handle etched in gold.

"And you were trying to infiltrate the mafia? Correct?" he asked.

Infiltrate wasn't what she would have called it exactly. Two years ago after Kira had begun to get attention from the americas, strangely the crime rate in Los Angeles went up twenty percent, and these crimes were big. Huge money busts, and several shootouts had occurred and like any big crime that happened in Los Angeles people blamed it on the mafia.

Erin was technically still a rookie detective, and it was somewhat obvious upon seeing her willingness to get any story, and that's what had gotten her in so much trouble in the first place.

A big bad gang leader who called himself Top Cat had gotten himself killed. Top Cat was feared throughout California and known for his love of three things; cocaine, whores, and power. But one day, someone had killed him, and you had to understand that Top Cat was seemingly untouchable, not even Kira could have killed him. And then, one day, bang he was dead, and it wasn't just any kind of dead. Someone had cut his head clean off his shoulders.

It didn't take long for the rumors to spread around that a sixteen year old kid had done it, somehow snuck into Top Cat's hideout and killed the bastard. That's when the crime rates went up, and people were saying that this child was now the head of all crime syndicates in California.

She'd initially thought it would be the story of a lifetime, to get an interview with this child who'd cut off a mafia leader's head. It had seemed so glamorous in her mind's eye to sit and talk with the child who might eventually run the world. Erin could see herself achingly listening to this story, mad with desire to go home and type it up on her old fashioned type writer that she kept because of the novelty it had. It would be huge, she would win awards. She would be moved out of her tiny, cramped closet and into an actual office, with a real desk not just some wobbly old bedside table.

Of course, it never really played out that way and she had spent an entire year tracking down various mafia members like Ill Rat and Daft Dog. It hadn't been easy either, but she'd had a few associates from college who helped her find out who and what was alive and what wasn't.

But, word got out around the office about Erin's plan for her big story, and someone, who had been an associate of the mafia had heard of her plan. Boom. Next thing she knew, a pistol was being shoved down her throat and it wasn't at all like things were on television.

"Answer me!" the man roared, suddenly impatient. The velvet in his voice was gone now, replaced by what sounded like rusted metal that was being rubbed together.

"I-I-I...I just wanted a-a story!" she wailed, her shoulders shaking limply, hating how she couldn't play it off like actors did in movies. How they would shrug the gun away with their cheek and say something biting to their captors.

Suddenly, the blond man's hands were digging in her shoulders and he tilted her head upwards so he could look in her eyes. Erin gasped, the other side of the man's face that had been hidden in shadow was covered by a large scar, the edges of it jagged, like mountains. She leaned away from him with a whimper and strangely, his breath smelled like chocolate. Sickly, and syrupy sweet. She'd always imagined someone in the mafia would smell like beer, or maybe even pot. But never chocolate. It seemed strangely childlike.

"We know everything about you Erin Blogger." He stated, looking at her cruelly though his bright blue eyes. "You're an Aries. You grew up in New York City, you have a brother named Farley. You graduated from the University of California with a degree in journalism. You made mostly B's with a few A's squeezed in there. You work at the LA Sun as a part time writer. I can go on, if you like?" he sneered, tapping the edge of his pistol, that was still slightly damp with her spit on her temple.

Erin had moved away so fast that she'd ended up yanking the chair she was tied to. She clattered to the floor, her head hitting the concrete floor hard enough to see stars. When the pain ebbed away enough for her to open her eyes she saw the man's boots striding away from her and out of the door. Tears blurred the edge of her vision and she found herself wondering in a morbid, obscure fashion if she was in hell.

When Erin woke up again, she felt a pair of cool hands on her wrists, gently untying the rope that bound her wrists together. Someone had obviously moved the chair back into an upright position. When they were free, she pulled them into her lap, rubbing the skin that had rubbed off from the friction.

"What do you want with me?" she whimpered, trying to fight back tears, "Gonna shove another gun down my throat because it gets you off?"

"No guns sweetheart," the voice said softly, this time in a lilting british accent.

The owner of the voice walked in front of her and she was startled to see a young man with shaggy red hair a pair of silvery goggles perched on his forehead. His bright green eyes were the first thing she had seen in this place with any hint of kindness in it.

"My name is Matt." he said softly, smiling at her. Then he stood, fishing around in his jean pockets. He pulled out a small packet of cigarettes and tapped one lazily on the edge of his wrist.

"Who was that?" Erin asked softly, "Th-that guy with the g-g-gun."

She could barely say the word as he mouth recalled the strangely bitter taste on her tongue that made her desperate for a toothbrush and about a gallon of toothpaste.

Matt looked almost as if he pitied her, and lit his cigarette, inhaling deeply. He held in the breath for a few moments, then expelled the smoke through his nostrils in such a way that he reminded her of some kind of messed up dragon.

"What guy sweetheart?" Matt said gently, pulling the cigarette from his lips. "There's a lot of guys with guns in here."

"You know," she snorted, "Scarface."

Matt snorted, a few flakes of ash falling from his cigarette. "That's Mello, and don't ever let him know you compared him to Al Pacino. He's more of a Marlon Brando kind of guy."

The romantic image of Marlon Brando didn't seem to fit this man called Mello, he seemed more like the kind of person who'd have a pile of cocaine on his desk and shove his face into it. He seemed crazy and ruthless enough, the kind of man who said, _the world is mine._

Still though, it felt good to laugh with this redheaded man and she sighed when her stomach grumbled.

"Hungry eh?" he said, exhaling. "Don't worry, we'll feed you soon."

Then he reached upwards and stroked at her temple. The gesture frightened her and she thought almost vulgarly that he intended to rape her.

"Don't touch me asshole!" she snapped.

The red haired man held up his gloved hands in a gesture of peace. "Look hun, raping you would be as torturous for me as it would be for you. I don't go for ladies. Sorry."

It took Erin a few moments to realize what he meant and she wrinkled her nose in slight distaste. Matt let out a small laugh, "Hey, kiddo. Don't knock it til you've...never mind."

Then he pointed to his own temple, "You've just got a knot right there, I guess from when you fell over, right?"

She nodded, knowing she might be pushing her luck as she spoke, "That guy is pure fucking evil..."

Matt blinked seeming surprised, "Mello...he's just...look, this really has nothing to do with you deep down, he's just taking precautions. He's trying to-"

Then, Matt's phone rang, and she realized with a sudden jolt that it was the Mario theme. Didn't seem very mafia-like.

He heaved an annoyed sigh as he answered the phone, "What? … She has to go again? But we just got back from there like two days ago!"

Erin could hear the person on the other end of the phone screaming obscenities as Matt held the phone away from his ear.

"Why can't you take her? But she doesn't need- … Bloody hell mate, okay. Okay. But I doubt she's going to be- … Fine, fine! I'll take her."

He shut the little red cell phone with a snap and heaved a sigh. He flicked what was left of his cigarette on the ground and put it out with the bottom of his boot. Matt gave her an apologetic look, "Sorry sweetheart, I have some errands to run. When I get back, we'll get some food in you, okay?"

He strode behind her and began tying her hands up again.

"Wait, wait!" Erin exclaimed, "Do you...do you have to do that? I won't try to get out...I promise."

She could hear Matt sigh, as if something pained him, "I'm sorry kiddo, but you've seen what Mello's like, I can't risk it."

She hung her head and let out a small sniffle of frustration.

"Hey now, don't cry. I'll be back with some food okay. Chin up kiddo."

Then he shut the door, leaving Erin alone in the room that she had come to associate with the deepest level of hell.


	2. Trickery

**Chapter Two **– Trickery

The sound of the rusty old door creaking made Erin's head jolt upwards. She bit back a cry, as her neck was aching from holding her head down. Matt strode inside, his furry vest slightly damp from whatever weather that was outside, probably the occasional Los Angeles rain.

He waved at her, and held up a brown paper sack with some fast food chain logo on it. "Burger?" he offered, and the smell of french fries hit her nose like a tank.

She nodded, "Please?"

He smiled and tossed the bag on her lap before striding behind her and slowly untying the ropes that bound her hands together. Erin was grateful that Matt had been kind enough to not tie her bonds as tightly as before.

As soon as her hands were free she delved into the paper bag, grabbing a fistful of the sliced potatoes and shoving them down her throat in an almost greedy manner. Matt didn't seem to be to perturbed however and he lit another cigarette, inhaling deeply.

Abruptly, there was a clatter on the floor and Erin jumped her finger still stuck between her lips. She turned to see a young girl who was crouched on the floor, who had apparently dumped out a shopping bag of painting supplies on the concrete floor.

Matt seemed to notice Erin glancing at the girl and he raised a hand to scratch sheepishly at his head, "Uh, this is Layla."

Layla didn't look up from the pile of painting supplies on the floor and pulled out a small canvas with a painting already on it. She then sorted through the pile of objects and grabbed a piece of sandpaper, then beginning to scrape the previous painting off the canvas with a kind of practiced ease.

Matt shifted suddenly, a little uncomfortable. "Layla, why don't you say hello?"

"Uh, hi...Layla." Erin said softly, staring at the girl.

She looked young, and her leather pants shone in the light of the single lightbulb. She had long, silky brown hair which cascaded over her face so Erin couldn't exactly see her expression when she spoke.

"Hello." her accent was incredibly thick and it was kind of hard for Erin to understand her.

"So, uh, where you from, Layla?" Erin asked. It was probably her best bet to try and remain on good terms with these people. This Layla girl didn't seem to be nearly as kind or welcoming as Matt himself had been. Plus, it would make her seem more human to these people.

Layla didn't answer, only glanced upward slightly and Erin could see that she would have been moderately pretty had it not been for a long slender scar across the bridge of her nose and over her cheeks.

_God, _Erin thought, _there sure are a lot of people with scars around here._

"I'm surprised you are eating." Layla said, her face passive and unemotional.

Erin stopped, and stared at the french fry that lay between her fingers. _Damn it!_ She thought, normally her investigative training would have made her suspicious, made her suspect some form of foul play.

But she had fallen for this Matt's kind act and her heart began to race as she imagined rivers of poison being ingested into her system. However, Matt didn't burst out laughing in a crazy serial killer kind of way, and Mello didn't burst though the door to shoot her in the head.

As a matter of fact, Matt looked a little angry now and he made a soft clicking noise with his tongue. "Bleeding hell, Layla!" he exclaimed, "Now you're gonna make her stop eating." He strode over to her and ate the french fry that was still hot between her fingers. "Erin, I promise, its not poisoned. See?" He then opened his mouth as if to show her that the food had been digested.

Now though, she felt stupid and she set the bag hastily on the floor.

Layla let out a snort, that Erin suspected was an ill hidden laugh.

"I don't see what's so goddamn funny about torturing innocent people you...you..." she couldn't find words powerful enough to describe her dislike and instead opted for trying to burn lasers in this girl's skull.

Still though, Layla laughed as if it were the funniest thing she had heard all day, or night. Whatever time it was. "Ah, _kuradi lits_," she sneered, "You must not be too smart. If Mello really wanted to kill you he wouldn't have wasted time with all this shit." Layla gestured around the room and Matt let out an annoyed sigh.

"Layla, clear off damn it!" Matt snapped, lighting another cigarette. "This girl isn't a fucking threat to us. Or you, no matter what bullshit Mello tries to tell you."

When Layla's eyes hardened Erin couldn't help but lean back a little bit, she had the same coldness in her eyes as Mello.

But Matt however seemed unperturbed and he gazed back at Layla through the orange lens on his goggles, "Don't be so bloody dumb Layla. You honestly thing a fucking _journalist_ is a threat?"

"If Mello says-"

"Mello is only doing this for one reason, and you know that. Now stop being such a bloody bint and treat her nicer. You of all people should know what its like to be in her position!"

_Be in her position?_ Erin thought, had this girl been held captive by Mello at one point too? Had she felt the click of metal against her teeth and tasted the tangy bitterness of sulfur?

She faltered now, and cast a lingering look at Erin's figure. "Estonia." she said suddenly.

"B-Beg pardon?" Erin stuttered, glancing at floor in what she hoped made her seem more defenseless.

Layla slouched her shoulders sharply, and Erin thought wildly for a moment that they were both trying to appear more defenseless than the other. "I'm from Estonia. You asked where I was from."

Erin wracked her brain suddenly, trying to remember exactly where that country was. Geography had never been an incredibly strong point in her academic life.

Layla must have read the confusion in her face though because she let out a tiny sigh, "Estonia is next to Russia."

"Oh," Erin said lamely, but in an attempt to be friendly she added, "Russia huh? So its cold there I bet?"

But Layla seemed to have lost interest in the conversation and she went right back to stripping her canvas. The rough sound of the sandpaper filled the room awkwardly again and Erin slouched back in her chair.

"Sorry Erin," Matt said cheekily, "Layla kind of loses interest in people who she's not capturing with paint."

Without warning, the door was roughly shoved open, where it swung and slammed into the side of the wall with a loud crash. All three of the room's occupants jumped, and Erin could hear Layla mutter a curse underneath her breath.

Mello stood, looking practically livid as he glowered at Matt. "Well where is she?" he roared, "I've been calling your phone for the past thirty minutes and you haven't answered."

Matt inhaled one last time on his cigarette, then snubbed out the butt quickly with his toe. Then he raised a gloved hand to point at Layla who now continued painting, oddly relaxed.

"You!" he snarled, advancing on her the way a tiger advances on it's prey. "What the fuck do you think you're doing in here?"

She didn't answer him, or even look up right away and Erin felt her heart jumping in her chest. I_s this girl stupid or something?_ She wondered,_ it sounds like he's holding her hostage too from the looks of things and she acts like she doesn't even care._

"_Mine põrgu,_ Mello. You can't keep me caged in here like _lummik._" she snapped, and Erin furrowed her brow at the words.

What did they speak in Estonia anyway? From the sound, Erin guessed vaguely that it was Russian.

Mello didn't seem very pleased by her words, whatever the language, because he abruptly cuffed her in the back of the head, hard. Hard enough to make her whole body swing forward and little tears form in the edge of her gray eyes.

Erin jumped, "L-leave her alone, you jerk!" she stuttered, then cursed herself. Although she considered herself a bit of a coward, she found it pretty pathetic when a guy would hit a girl just to prove he could.

He raised an eyebrow at her, blue eyes flashing malevolently at her and he took a step forward. Erin leaned backwards, and almost toppled the chair over until Layla spoke.

"Sorry, I won't be in here again."

Erin swore she could see the faint edge of triumph in Mello's bright blue eyes as he turned, "Goddamn right you fucking won't." he reached over roughly and yanked her up by her arms, before practically throwing her out the door.

"Finish up in here and meet me outside. We need to figure out what the fuck we should do with her." he inclined his head at Matt strode out the same door he had just thrown Layla from.

"Its okay kiddo," Matt said suddenly, and Erin looked down to see that she was shaking violently.

"What the fuck is wrong with him?" she breathed, gripping the back of the chair.

"Look," Matt mumbled, in a way that almost seemed embarrassed, "Layla's going to be fine, but...don't stand up for her again okay? Chivalry in here will kill you, Mello's not a fan of it, and he's not going to be happy with Layla because of it."

She shifted nervously, hoping that Mello wouldn't hurt the girl. Although she didn't exactly like Layla, Erin could never stand for seeing someone hurt.

"I gotta go." Matt said suddenly, "Mello's waiting."

When he left, Erin removed her hands from behind the chair. It had been a spur of the moment idea, to make Matt think he had tied her hands. To be completely truthful, she wasn't entirely sure it would have worked but it wasn't like she had time to ponder on it. After a moment of waiting to make sure Matt wouldn't enter the room, she slowly reached down and began to untie her ankles in a hasty manner.

_I will get out of here with a story,_ she thought vehemently, _or at the very least escape. _


	3. Foiled

**Chapter Three** – Foiled

Erin stood hastily, going to peek out of the heavy metal door with its bulletproof glass window. Thankfully, there weren't any men guarding the door and there was no sign of Mello, or Matt. But still, Erin faltered, thumping her toe on the door. This little plan could get her killed if it didn't work and her heart pounded in her chest. To calm herself, she began digging through her pockets for something, anything that would help her in her escape.

_Hell,_ she thought, _even a damn pen would work, and I could stab that blond bastard. Give him another scar on the other side of his face._

The violence of her thoughts surprised her. She was never really a vicious person, ever. She loved animals, even most people, and could be quite talkative when the mood struck her. But, Mello was beyond redemption, he was positively the worst person she had ever encountered. Erin's cheeks burned as she recalled the gun in her mouth and the cruel way he had slapped Matt's friend, Layla.

Taking a deep breath she placed a hand on the doorknob and pushed, surprised when it gave way with a pale squeak. It was heavy though, and she had to shove her entire bodyweight against it to make it budge. When she managed to squeeze through the opening she found herself in a dark, narrow hallway.

There were chains hanging, and looping over the ceiling. With every breath of air that fell through the place they clinked together, reminding her of ghosts and pain. Erin shuddered, her pale shoulders shivering as she walked down the narrow hallway.

If they catch me, I'm dead, she thought wildly, however she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw a door at the end of the hallway. Light shone through the bottom of the door and through a small glass window, it was much like the door she had been held captive in. She felt her heart skip a beat. _Is it that easy,_ she questioned mentally, _is that the exit door?_

But when she finally reached it, she felt her heart sink. Peering carefully through the glass she could see Mello sitting a large leather chair, looking oddly regal. Matt stood behind the chair, his eyes focused on a PSP. And Layla sat cross legged at Mello's feet. Her shoulders were slumped and her hands rested limply in her lap, she looked like a beaten dog, and Erin would not have been surprised if Mello would have kept a leash around her neck. But now, Mello was talking and she scrambled down to the bottom of the door, straining to hear his voice.

"... Working for him. Why else, why else would she want to write a story like that? If that gets out, if anything gets out. We'll die."

Then, she heard another voice, this one unfamiliar. "She doesn't seem to really know much though."

She heard Mello scoff, followed by a sharp snap. "They all act like that. But I can make her break, just like the others."

_Others, did that refer to Layla too? Had she been broken by Mello? Forced to sit at his feet like a beaten dog?_ The thought made her fists clench and she shuddered, mouthing the word _monster_ before standing again. It was a risky plan, but she figured, if she ran fast enough Mello would not have time to stand from his chair and chase after her. And Matt maybe would let her escape, being kind enough to untie her hands and bring her food. Maybe Layla could even distract him by aiming a well placed kick in the nuts. Guy deserved that much.

Without thinking Erin took a deep breath, then opened the door.

And ran.

She ran, pushing herself tirelessly as she felt her heart begin pounding. She didn't take the time to notice Mello's bewildered expression, how a piece of chocolate fell from his lips and onto his lap. All she was focused on was the door. _So close,_ she thought wildly as the door inched closer and closer to her face. _Go, go, go!_

But, suddenly, the wind was knocked out of her and she felt herself being catapulted through the air. Then, there was pain as someone grabbed her shoulder roughly and began dragging her across the concrete. She reached her arms up and clawed at the hand, twisting like a fish out of water. "Let go of me! Let go!"

They did let go after a moment and she found herself face to face with Mello's boots. Erin pushed herself up on her forearms and glared at the blond man with hateful eyes, however he just looked bewildered.

"Are you..." he paused, "A fucking idiot?"

"Well obviously," a voice snorted and Erin looked up to see Layla standing over her, panting slightly. There were red marks on her arm where Erin had clawed at her and Erin stared at her, confused.

_Why?_ She wondered. W_hy didn't she try to help me? Doesn't she want to get out of here?_

Mello's icy blue eyes flickered up to Layla briefly, then settled back on Erin's confused face. "Good girl, Kiska." he said emotionlessly.

Layla's eyes shone brightly and Erin could have sworn she saw a faint blush flit over the girl's face. However when she spoke, her voice was just as masked as Mello's own. "What do we do with her?"

Erin's heart began pounding, Mello would surely kill her for this. She had to think of something.

"I had to u-use the uh, the bath-bathroom."

Now, Matt finally looked up from his PSP, "Well, that makes sense I suppose." he said after a moment and Erin said a private thanks to God. She would have to tell Matt thank you later for saving her skin.

Mello turned to look at Matt, glaring at him as if he were stupid. "Did you forget to tie her up? How did she get out the fucking door?"

Matt let out an easy shrug, "Guess I just tied them too loose."

Mello gave him an enraged snarl and Erin cringed, "Fucking idiot. She could have gotten out! Goddamn you, Matt." Then he turned to Layla, "Take her to the bathroom. Then take her back to the room. Tie her up, and make sure its tight enough."

Layla gave a curt nod and yanked Erin up to her feet, leading her back down the same hallway she had come from.

In the faint darkness Erin could hear Layla's breathing begin to slow and even out. This girl was probably the weirdest captive she'd ever seen, definitely not like captives were supposed to be. She seemed to want to help Mello, and yet seemed to be disinterested in him.

After a while though, the silence was killing her. "Sorry I got you in trouble Layla."

Layla blinked and Erin could see her eyes flicker slightly in the darkness, "You didn't." she said thickly after a moment, "Mello wasn't really even mad." Her accent made the word 'Mello' sound funny, she said it like 'may-low' and Erin thought vaguely that it sounded like some kind of bleach brand.

_Discolor your clothes with May Low! At a store near you. Gun not included. _

She bit back the urge to laugh at the thought and instead tried to start up a conversation with Layla.

"But he hit you, when people hit you, aren't they usually mad?" she asked as Layla opened the door to reveal a bathroom with several stalls and two sinks.

Layla shrugged and strode inside to one of the mirrors. She pulled out a small comb and began brushing her long brown hair in the mirror. Through the reflection her eyes focused on Erin.

"Mello, he's...he's just a little stressed out. And I'm not exactly helping."

"He's a fucking womanizing asshole! It has nothing to do with him being-" she was stopped dead by the cold fury in Layla's gray eyes and she cursed herself for speaking without thinking.

"Don't you ever disrespect Mello." Layla snarled, turning so that her long hair swished around her like a cape, "You've known him for a fucking day. Don't act like you're better then him. You're the fucking captive here, you should be grateful he hasn't killed you...yet."

_But you're a captive too!_ Erin thought almost a little sadly. The girl was already developing Stockholm Syndrome, something she'd studied in her semester of psychology class. Usually that was when the captive, grateful that the captor had spared their life started to view them as sympathetic, human beings.

_Mello is anything but human,_ she thought viciously.

Layla cleared her throat, breaking Erin's train of thought. "Don't you need to use the bathroom?"

Erin nodded sharply, then turned into one of the stalls. As she locked the door she pressed her forehead against the wood. Tears were beginning to stream down her cheeks and she wondered how in the world she would get out of this mess.


	4. Pity

_**A/N:** Sorry these past few chapters have been so short. The next chapter is where all the real action starts, so it'll be a lot more interesting than these past few have enjoy and feel free to leave your ideas, and thoughts._

**Chapter Four** – Pity

The ropes around her wrists were tied tightly now, and as Erin screamed angrily there was no way they would budge. She shouted obscenities in the room until she was hoarse, her swears echoing all around her.

Layla had tied her back up with not so much as a word after Erin had used the restroom. As much as Erin pitied Layla, she hated her too. Layla should have been helping her, the two of them coming up with schemes to escape. But, Layla had helped him, helped the blond man who had just slapped her face. And all she got out of it was a 'Good girl, Kiska.'

Kiska. What did that even mean? Erin snorted, it was probably some codeword for whore or bitch. Mello certainly was mean enough to employ such a tactic. But still, Layla's face had practically lit up when he praised her, like she had just been told she was Miss America or something.

"Fuck," she hissed, hanging her head.

Exhaustion overwhelmed her and Erin slumped against her knees, falling into a pitiful sleep.

_Snap! Mello stands over her with a smirk on his face, biting into a bar of chocolate, "So do you want to play this game?"_

_ He leans close to her, smirking harshly like a jackal. Erin can smell the chocolate on his breath, a smell as bitter and harsh as Matt's cigarette smoke._

_ "You want to be my lummik?" he purrs, leaning against her._

_ Erin struggles against him, but her hands are tied and he's pressing against her. She squirms against him, clawing at his grinning face, at the scar that covers him like a Halloween mask._

_ And suddenly, Layla is there. She places her hands on Erin's head, forcing her to look at Mello's face. "Don't you want scars like ours?"_

_ And suddenly, she is watching horrified as Mello rakes his nail across Layla's face drawing blood. It pours down her face like a fountain and she looks adoringly at Mello._

_ "Join us Erin." Mello murmurs, offering her his hand that is covered in Layla's blood._

_ "Join us...Erin."_

_ "Erin..."_

_ "Erin..."_

"Erin, wake up."

She jumped, letting out a small squeak. Matt stood over her, a cigarette perched in his lips as he spoke, "Hey kiddo, sorry to wake you."

Erin shook her head sharply, vividly recalling the dream of Mello reaching his bloody hand out to her. "Its fine," she murmured as Matt began untying the rope around her wrists. "I was having a bad dream."

She could feel Matt's gloved hands stop briefly on her wrists, the smooth leather cool on her skin.

"A nightmare eh?" he said, "About what?"

Erin let out a sigh as the rope gave way and pulled her hands into her lap. She rubbed hastily at the red marks on her wrists, Layla had tied them so tight that she could see the marks from the rope indented on her skin.

"Mello," she said after a moment.

"Eh?" Matt said, inhaling from his cigarette.

"I had a nightmare about Mello, and Layla."

Matt nodded, his eyes looking slightly concerned, even past the orange goggles he always wore. "A nightmare about Mello and Layla huh?"

She nodded, then bit her lip angrily looking away as tears stung her eyes sharply, "I hate him," she said after a moment. "He's a monster."

Matt exhaled smoke through his nose and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. After a moment, he spoke, "Look, Mello isn't that bad. I know it seems that way from your position, but he's not pure evil okay?"

Erin glared at the red haired man, "How can you say that? How can you say he's not evil! Look at what he did to Layla, she's got fucking Stockholm Syndrome. It's so obvious, and it'll end up getting her killed!"

Now however, Matt looked slightly bemused, "Look, don't you worry about Layla. Mello's got her taken care of. You just keep your wits about you."

She let out a heated breath of air and nodded. Layla was already lost to her at the moment, the only way Erin could help anyone was by helping herself first.

"Anyways," Matt said suddenly, crushing his cigarette under his boot. "There's a meeting you need to attend."

He helped her to her feet and led her through the mafia hideout, past the room where she had attempted to run away previously.

Matt led her back past Mello's armchair and into what looked like an office room.

There was a long glass table in the center of the room where Mello sat at the head of the table. Several big, buff men surrounded him and Erin knew it would a stupid idea to try and escape this time. Mello nodded once at Matt and he led her to a chair in the corner of the room.

Matt took his own seat by Mello's left, smiling at her once before turning.

Mello gave him an annoyed look at suddenly raised his hand, waving as if he were some kind of spoiled prince. Wordlessly the buff men surrounding him departed out the door and Erin cringed as they passed her, gazing at her as if she were some kind of food for a hungry animal.

Once they had all filed outside, Mello spoke not really looking at Erin. "We're taking you home tomorrow."

Her heart pounded in her chest and hope glimmered in her eyes, "You're letting me-"

"No." he said sharply, "We're letting you get some of your things."

The hope that was in her eyes faded quickly like a candle that had been snuffed out.

He smirked, then tilted his head to yell behind his shoulder, "Layla! Are you done yet?"

When Erin tilted her head over she saw Layla sketching quickly in a sketchpad, sitting carefully behind Mello's chair.

"Almost," she muttered, "Give me a few more minutes."

"Hurry up." he snapped.

Then, Erin watched slightly fascinated as Mello pulled out a bar of chocolate from his coat pocket. He ripped the foil off with a practiced ease and bit into the chocolate bar, letting a satisfied moan fall from his lips like it was the first food he'd had in weeks.

_Jesus dude, _she thought. _It's just fucking chocolate._

After a moment though, Layla stood behind him then dropped her sketchbook in Mello's lap.

He looked annoyed as he stared at the sketchbook. Then, to Erin's surprise he looked right at her, "You. Come here."

She stood on shaky legs, then went over to Mello's side trying to keep him at a comfortable distance. Which, she found was oddly impossible, the man made every room he was in completely uncomfortable. However with some leaning over his shoulder she found it was a perfect floor plan of her apartment. She even had drawn in the small openings in the wood floor.

Erin looked accusingly at Layla, "How long have you been spying on me?"

Layla shrugged, "After we took you, I looked around for an hour."

Erin stared at the Estonian girl distrustfully, "You drew a perfect floor plan...of my apartment in one hour?"

Mello snorted, "Layla has a photographic memory. She can remember any scenery she sees with almost minute perfection. It makes her a fantastic painter."

Erin stared again at Layla who instead of looking at her, or even at the sketchpad. Instead, she was staring at Mello with a strange look in her eyes.

She reached her hand out and for a strangely off moment Erin thought that Layla was about to touch Mello's face.

But Mello must have sniffed out the sensation in the air because he turned to look at Layla with a harsh coldness in his eyes, "What are you doing?" he snapped, a piece of chocolate dangling in his lips.

Layla turned her head down suddenly, "Nothing. Sorry Mello."

Mello suddenly begin speaking, but Erin wasn't exactly paying attention. Her eyes were instead focused on Layla who reached inside of her tank top and pulled out a red and white crucifix. She squeezed it tightly and shut her eyes, giving out a tiny sigh.

_Was she trying to gather her thoughts?_ Erin wondered, _was she trying to hold on to her religion now to keep strong?_ Again, Erin found herself pitying Layla almost as much as she pitied herself.

She needed time away from Mello, time to realize what had been done to her, and Erin vowed she would try her damnedest to reach through to the girl before she was out of here.


	5. Hands

**Chapter Five** - Hands

Mello's car smelled like two things, cigarettes and chocolate.

And Erin knew exactly why, Mello drove and ate chocolate while Layla sat in the passenger's seat and smoked cigarette after cigarette, tossing the butts out of the window after a few puffs.

Matt sat beside her, focused intently on his video game, the beeps and bloops the only sound in the car. She wanted conversation, sound, laughter... something.

After Mello had finished discussing his plans with Layla and Matt, the three of them had blindfolded her and had made her walk for what seemed like at least an hour. Erin had felt herself getting into a car, the engine purring underneath her as she sat in what felt like expensive leather.

After several terse minutes of being blindfolded and silent she felt a pair of hands untie the blindfold around her face. The darkness fell away and she saw Mello driving quietly behind the wheel of a Ferrari, the little horse logo glaring obviously on the steering wheel. Layla sat beside him and when Erin turned she saw Matt give her a quick smile. He went back to his video game a moment later and the four of them remained silent.

In the silence, Erin began watching Mello and Layla curious for any kind of sign from them, since it was apparent that Matt wasn't much of a talker.

She watched Mello unwrap chocolate bar after chocolate bar, little foil balls collecting in his lap. Erin hated the way he bit into them, closing his eyes and letting out little moans as if they were food for a starving man.

_You deserve to starve,_ she thought viciously as she watched him take another chunk of out of the candy bar._ You deserve to fucking starve to death you malicious bastard. _

She'd never thought herself a malicious person really. She loved animals, people, everyone. Erin had always thought she could find the good in someone no matter how cold or ornery they seemed. But not Mello. He was beyond her sympathy, this man who tortured innocent woman and girls strictly for what she was starting to assume was for his own amusement. He treated Layla like a fucking dog, and Erin would not be surprised at all if she was next.

But, she had to keep her wits about her, like Matt had said. Then she'd worry about Layla.

"S-So, you're taking me to my house?" she questioned, breaking the silence in the car like shattering glass.

Layla jumped and swore, while Matt nearly dropped his PSP in surprise. Mello however looked calm and collected.

"That's right." he said quietly, finishing the last bite of his chocolate and crumpling the foil.

"Aren't you worried about cops?" Erin asked, hoping to at the very least put some worry in this man's head. "My apartments aren't exactly in the nicest part of LA, as I'm sure Layla's realized."

Mello however, to her great disappointment didn't seem too disturbed at all. "We're in the mafia Erin. Don't you think we have this all worked out?"

"They keep patrols every night." she lied, trying to get a reaction out of him.

Matt gave her a sidelong glance, "They do?"

"Yeah," she told the goggled boy, "There's been a lot of robberies there."

Even Layla looked back behind at Erin, her grey eyes widening. Then she turned to Mello, "Maybe...maybe we should go back. What if I missed something in that drawing? What if there's like a secret compartment or something that I didn't see?"

_Goddamn you!_ Erin snapped mentally, she didn't need Layla convincing Mello to get cold feet and back out before she even got a different set of clothes on her body.

Mello however, seemed hatefully relaxed. "You didn't miss a damn thing Layla." he told her, "It's a fucking apartment, not some secret military base."

"How do you know I'm not in the military?" Erin fired out at him, "I could have connections. I am a journalist after all."

Mello let out a snort that Erin suspected was an ill defined laugh, "Look, if you were in the military, we, of all people would know it. Now shut the fuck up. If you make one more goddamned sound I'll shoot you dead."

Erin's brief moment of bravery faded and she shrank back against the seat. After having a pistol in her mouth, she didn't doubt Mello's promise.

And then, everyone fell back into silence as before, well, almost.

Erin watched Layla's hand suddenly begin to twitch beside her leg on the seat. Every few seconds, her fingers would twitch as if longing to grab hold of something.

_Is she afraid?_ Erin wondered. _Is she afraid of being punished if she's wrong?_

Mello noticed it too, and for a moment Erin wondered if he was going to yell at her for it. If he did, Erin knew she would have no problem bitching him out for something else as well.

But then out of the blue, Mello's gloved hand shot over and hovered over Layla's own for a moment.

Erin held her breath, half expecting flames to shoot out of the tips of his fingers. Nothing would have surprised her about him, she half expected him to be the son of the devil anyway.

Nothing would have surprised her...except what he actually did.

Mello's leather gloved hand hovered over Layla's for the briefest moment, until it came down very gently atop her own. He laced her fingers in his own and gave her palm a strong, supple squeeze, then pulled away as if nothing had occurred.

Layla's face looked relaxed now, and Erin noticed her breathing became more even.

_Was...was he just...comforting her?_ She wondered, her head suddenly spinning from the gesture. However she didn't have time to ponder the moment as the car pulled to an abrupt stop right in front of her complex.

Matt suddenly pocketed his video game and let out a sigh as he kicked open the door. Layla and Mello also stepped out of their respective seats.

"Get out of the car!" Mello roared at her, and Erin scrambled out of the seat, little tears gathering at the corner of her eyes.

She felt the cold barrel of the gun against the small of her back and heard Mello's voice in her ears. "Move."

They walked up to her tiny apartment and she watched as Matt unlocked the door and switched on the light. Once inside the living room, Mello tossed her a small cloth bag that had been folded inside his coat pocket.

"Grab whatever clothes you can fit in there." he instructed.

Layla followed her to every room and watched her toss clothes in the bag until it was almost overflowing.

"I-Is this o-okay?" she stuttered, quickly bringing the bag back to Mello.

He gave the bag an appraising look, as if he disproved of her clothes. "I suppose. Now, I want you to do one more thing."

At those words, Matt set her laptop out onto a coffee table.

Erin stared at it, confused, "What's that for?"

"Write a letter to your family telling them you're on vacation so they won't worry. Don't try to include any kind of code."

She cursed, as soon as Mello had said the word letter, Erin's mind immediately focused on what kind of code she could use to ask for help, but Mello had seen right through that like a sheet of plastic wrap.

She opened the laptop with shaking hands and wrote a simple email explaining to her family she would be away on a trip involving a prominent businessman she was trying to get a story from.

Mello read over the letter, and snorted. "Prominent businessman huh? You're not as uncreative as I thought, Blogger."

Her fists clenched at the thought of Mello thinking she was uncreative. She hated how he knew exactly how to get at people.

Her hands went up to close the laptop but Mello held up a gloved hand. "We're not done yet, Blogger." he said quietly, "I also want you to write a letter of resignation to the LA Sun, explaining that you are just not cut out to be a reporter."

This was just too much.

Instantly, Erin hated him again, the hatred bubbling up into tears that spilled over her eyes. She had busted her ass for that job, practically spent years prepping and interning to try and get a job at the LA Sun, and now Mello was demanding she just _resign_?

"Fuck you." she hissed, tears flowing over her eyes. "I will NOT give up my job for you motherfuckers."

Mello shrugged, the pointed his gun at her, cocking it with slow deliberation.

Suddenly, Layla's hand was on his arm. "Erin," she said thickly, her accent strong with what Erin suspected might have been emotion, "Tell them you're on extended leave. Tell them someone in your family is sick."

Erin blinked, as Mello lowered his hand.

Extended leave didn't sound nearly as bad as resignation, and if she ever got out of this alive she would have a place to write her story after all.

She wrote a hasty letter which Mello looked over and deemed acceptable with a curt nod. She couldn't look at the monitor as she sent the letter, shame welling up in her chest.

"Come on," Matt said softly, after Mello and Layla had walked out to go and get in the car.

She stood, walking silently alongside the goggled man. When they reached the doorway Erin couldn't help but notice the small diner that was merely a few feet away from her apartment complex.

_I could get away. _She thought suddenly. _If I can run fast enough I can get in there and ask for help. Matt doesn't have a gun to my back and I'm not tied up_.

So she took one last look at Matt and ran, her heart pounding wildly.

She heard him swear behind her and call out her name but she ignored it.

All Erin could hear was the steady beat of her heart and her shoes as they pounded against the concrete.

She was close now, and she could almost see the heads of people inside the small diner, happily enjoying their meals.

She ran harder, feeling her blood turn to acid. Erin had reached the driveway and she could feel Matt close on her heels.

"Go go!" she told herself. She'd reached the door, and her fingertips grazed the metal door handle.

Until Matt grabbed her waist, pulling her down onto the concrete.

They rolled on the ground and in a fury she began hitting him, beating against his chest.

"You fucker!" she snarled, "What the fuck do you want from me!"

She aimed a punch at his face and ended up hitting his goggles where one of the little orange lenses cracked, looking like a spiderweb over his eye.

"Calm down." he told her, pinning her wrists and straddling her. "We can't let you go yet. I'm sorry."

Then, Erin broke, great big crocodile tears pouring down her face and she began bawling.

Matt looked absolutely bewildered, "H-hey...don't. Don't cry. It'll be okay."

She shook her head and was surprised when he pulled her up into a huge bear hug. It was probably the kindest thing she had felt since meeting Mello and the loving action made her cry even harder.

His shirt smelled like cigarette smoke and she let out a shuddering sigh when she pulled away from him.

He smiled gently at her, and used a gloved hand to wipe at her nose that had been pouring snot like a faucet.

"Want a milkshake?" he asked gently, pointing at the diner

"Wha-what?" she asked.

"Want a milkshake? They always cheer me up." he said kindly.

She nodded furiously, and sighed as Matt helped her to her feet.


	6. Humanity

_**A/N: **I loved writing this chapter. I have to say, I love how Matt and Erin's friendship is developing slowly. I think its really cute. I also wanted to include some of Mello and Layla's human side. Eventually I think Erin will see them in a more sympathetic light. I hope you enjoy this!_

**Chapter Six **- Humanity

Matt hoisted Erin up and wrapped his arm around her, "Come on," he murmured, "Let's get a shake. What flavor you like, Erin?"

She sheepishly glanced down as they walked into the diner, the cold gust of air making her shiver.

He gave a nod to a teenaged waiter with a silver nose ring glimmering in his nose and they took a small booth in the corner.

Erin found that she could not stop her crying, and now she began to muffle it into her fist, squeezing her eyes shut as tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

"Here," Matt said gently, passing her a napkin from the dispenser at the end of the table.

She took it, and blew her nose pitifully.

The waiter with the nose ring came over and looked at the both of them appraisingly, "Hi, my name is Paul, I'll be your waiter. What would you like?"

Matt looked gently at Erin, "You never told me what kind of shake you like, hun."

She remained quiet, only sniffled and looked down at the crumpled napkin in her hand.

Without a word, he reached over and squeezed her hand gently, ignoring the snotty napkin in her hand. "She'll have strawberry, I'll have one too."

Paul nodded, then pursed his lips. "Look, uh we're supposed to tell all couples here that no one can enter the bathroom together, okay?"

Matt gave the waiter an odd look, "Uh, why would we do that? We aren't a couple."

The waiter shrugged, "We've had a problem with a certain couple coming into the bathrooms and uh...fornicating...I guess."

Matt now wished he hadn't spoken at all and he flushed.

"Look kid, just get us a shake, please."

The waiter nodded, the walked away briskly. By now, Erin had finally calmed down and she pulled her hand away from Matt's grasp.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she muttered, "Sorry about your goggles."

Matt reached up to pull his goggles down from his head, the red hair slightly tousled and bent. He fingered the cracked lens then shook his head with a smile.

"Its fine." he said kindly.

"I hate Mello." she said quietly. "I hate him. What's he got against women?"

Now however, Matt looked slightly confused. "Mello has nothing against women, he loves them."

She scoffed, "He shoved a gun in my throat and he treats Layla like a pet. He must not love his captives."

Matt sighed and lit a cigarette, blowing the smoke away from her when she coughed.

"Look, I promised Mello I wouldn't say anything. But, I don't believe you're honestly a threat. Mello and Layla are..."

Now though he paused as the waiter brought both of them strawberry shakes. Matt sized them up, then surprised Erin by pushing the shake with more whipped cream over to her. Then, he pulled his own cherry off the top of the pile of whipped cream and placed it on her own.

He was so sweet, and for a moment Erin thought that he didn't belong in the mafia with his kind nature. He was too gentle and warm, like a bright flame in the coldest room.

"What are Mello and Layla?" she asked.

Matt took a drag off his cigarette and raised an eyebrow at her. "What's that kiddo?"

"You were talking about Mello and Layla," Erin muttered.

"Oh, right." he murmured, extinguishing the cigarette with a single gesture.

Then he heaved a sigh, lacing his fingers together in front of him on the table. "Mello and Layla...they're lovers."

Disgust rose in Erin's throat. Mello and Layla were... lovers? There was no way, no way in the entire world that a man as cold as Mello could love someone. He was ruthless, a member of the mafia, a killer, a monster.

"So they just have sex right?" she questioned, looking at Matt with wide eyes.

He sipped at his shake, the cold ice cream moving slowly up the straw. Then, he shook his head quietly.

"Layla is Mello's best friend, and probably the only person he'd give up everything for."

"But...he hits her!" Erin exclaimed. She'd never really been in many relationships with men, other than her father and brother. But, her father never had ever used any form of physical violence against any member of her family.

That just wasn't how it was done. She'd always figured that a partner was someone who shared adventures with you, loved you, kept you safe and warm on lonely nights. A lover should lift you up when you feel at your utter worse, not bring you down even further.

"Well, Layla knows what she's getting into," Matt said, watching Erin fish around her shake with the striped red and white straw. She appeared to be trying to take all this information in. "Layla's hit Mello too, but...in the end they always make up somehow."

Then, Erin remembered the way Mello had grasped at Layla's hand in the car, the way the gesture had seemed almost sweet in a quiet kind of manner.

"How did they meet?" Erin asked taking a sip of her malt.

Matt shrugged, "They...they met in an orphanage at seven years old and they've stuck together like glue ever since."

An orphanage...? Erin thought. Did they both have dead parents? Is that why Mello was so cold, so cruel? She tried to imagine a child version of Mello and Layla. All she could imagine was two lonely, sad children who had nothing but each other.

"Matt," she said quietly, "Why does Mello think I'm a threat to you?"

The redheaded man's brow furrowed, "I can't tell you that."

Suddenly, the Mario theme rang out into the air, and Erin jumped. Matt pulled out his cell phone and placed it on the table where it vibrated for a few moments before he answered it.

"Matt, here."

He leaned close so that Erin could here the conversation. Mello's voice was full of quiet rage and it made Erin's hands shake against the table.

"Where the hell is the girl? We went back to the apartment and you both weren't there."

Matt answered with a surprising causality, "She got upset, so I took her to get a shake at the diner across town."

Mello swore, "You fucking idiot! Why didn't you clarify with me? I've been driving around for the past thirty minutes looking for you!"

"Sorry," Matt replied calmly, "Where are you now?"

Erin heard a low growl at the edge of Mello's throat over the phone line.

"Base. Layla wants to go back home tonight."

Matt's brow furrowed, "Okay, take her home. I'll bring Erin back to the base."

"You'd better make sure to keep her hands tied, and don't forget to blindfold her on the way back. If you make one more mistake I swear, I'll kill you."

Click!

The phone was hung up and Matt pocketed the cellphone.

The two of them finished their shakes in silence and Matt stood after a moment. He threw away their shakes in a nearby trash receptacle and fished around in his pockets for a new cigarette.

"You'll go back?" he asked, "No punching me in the eyes?"

She nodded, "I'll go back."

Matt walked ahead of her, then turned when she stopped just outside of the diner door.

Erin looked up at him and gave him a faint smile, "Thanks, Matt. You really know how to cheer a girl up."

They walked in silence outside and when Matt placed the blindfold gently around her eyes she didn't struggle.

"I got that from Mello." he said, helping her into the car.

"What do you mean?" she said quietly.

"Mello does that for Layla when she's upset." he murmured.

After about thirty minutes she could hear a car stop in front of her. Matt helped her inside and sat calmly beside her.

Once they began driving she could feel Matt reach over to grasp at her hand.

The heat from his palm on her own felt gratefully human.


	7. Highlight

**Chapter Seven** – Highlights

The days had begun to slip, almost restlessly into one another. Since there were no windows in the concrete room Erin was contained in she had begun to lose track of time. After her outing with Matt to the diner, he had taken her back to base and left her there, unfortunately tied up again.

Since then he had only visited her two, maybe three times, and every time he seemed both preoccupied and worried. He usually only chatted with her for a few moments, always telling her to keep her chin up before he left.

Erin had not seen either Mello or Layla since the outing to her house and their prolonged absence was making her nervous.

She wracked her brain for days, thinking madly. Solitude and paranoia were starting to creep up on her, like thousands of ants upon sugar.

_What if Mello plans to kill me? _She thought, _What if somehow, word got out that Matt told me about Layla? _

_Is that why he looks so sad? _

_Is that why he's been coming in here and refusing to look me in the eyes?_

And Mello and Layla were another topic entirely on their own. It had been almost comforting to think of Layla as a hostage, a kind of way that she didn't have to feel entirely alone. But now, to know that Layla was not imprisoned by Mello was hardly a form of comfort.

The thought that Layla had _willingly_ let Mello treat her the way he did was sickening. Erin didn't give two shits what Matt said, she believed Mello used Layla for sex and that was that. There was no way that blond bastard had ever loved anything in his life.

"Hey, kiddo."

Erin jumped and looked up to see Matt, smiling quirkily at her. Tears almost welled in her eyes at the sight of his friendly face.

"Matt! I'm so glad you're here."

He grinned, toothily at her, "Me too, kiddo."

He strode behind her and began to untie her bonds, as he always did, to allow her to at least get a little bit of exercise.

"I have good news for you!" he said when she was standing.

"You're letting me go home?" she exclaimed.

It had been stupid to think that they would just let her walk out of here completely unscathed but she couldn't help the hope that glimmered in her eyes.

Matt looked at her as if he pitied her for a moment, "No kiddo, but its almost just as good. You'll be staying with Layla at her apartment."

Instinctively Erin blanched, "St-stay? With Layla? Why?"

Now, Matt looked a little disappointed that she didn't react well to this news.

"Well," he said after a moment, "Mello wanted her to keep a closer eye on you then I have." He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. "He wasn't too happy about our little date at the diner. But don't worry about it, Layla's not going to eat you or anything."

"So I won't see you anymore?" Erin said, a little panicky.

Matt reached over and ruffled her hair, "Course you will!" he said cheerfully, "I visit Layla all the time. Her place isn't much but its a lot better than in here."

He took out a small bandana from his pocket and sighed, "Sorry sweetheart, I have to blindfold you again until we get to the apartment."

Erin nodded and turned around, allowing Matt to once again blindfold her and lead her out to his car.

The drive seemed to take forever, Matt endlessly droning on about something she couldn't quite recollect.

Then he is stopping, pulling her out of the car and leading her a short distance to what she assumes to be a door, by the wooden thumping sound it makes when Matt knocks on it.

Layla's voice was calm, maybe even a little cold, and Erin's spine tingled when she heard it.

"Well, take off the blindfold. She can see the inside of the apartment."

When Matt's hands removed the blindfold Erin was thankful that the apartment was dimly lit.

At first glance the place appeared to be a like something one would see in 'Sid and Nancy'. There were posters everywhere, various british punk bands and several copies of Andy Warhol works plastered all over the walls.

The black leather couches seemed to be placed in haphazardly crooked directions. A small television was placed in front of the largest sofa and their was a box of what looked to be records beside it.

The living room appeared to be connected to a sort of mismatch kitchen/dining room and it was in there that Layla stood.

Despite the squalor, Layla appeared to be dressed in a fine silken robe and even in the dim lighting Erin could make out the small outlines of flowers and cranes on the black silk.

Her long brown hair was pulled out of the pony tail that Erin had usually seen it in and it cascaded down her back like a waterfall of chocolate.

Matt strode past her, peering over Layla's shoulder where she appeared to be appeared to be putting globs of icing on something.

"Chocolate cake? Jesus, what a spoilt brat."

She snorted, a sound that seemed almost unbecoming of her and raised a hand to her lips. "Hush. Leave him alone."

"You know, with all the shit you put up with, you should be given...like...a metal."

She sighed, then gave Erin a glance.

"You hungry?"

Still a little nervous about being around Layla, Erin could only nod.

"You like _Solyanka_?"

Both Erin and Matt looked at her quizzically.

"Bless you." Matt said teasingly.

Layla scowled, "_Solyanka_ is a Russian soup."

Matt scoffed, "Like I said, spoiled."

She didn't say much of anything only opened the refrigerator to pull out a Tupperware container filled with what looked to be like a thick soup with several vegetables in it. She spooned some of this out into a bowl and placed it in the microwave.

"Sit." she commanded, gesturing to the small cafe style table that was in the kitchen.

Erin let out a squeak then hurried to the table, sitting so quickly she nearly fell out of the chair.

"Relax, kiddo." Matt said gently, "Layla's not Mello. She's not going to kill you."

Erin glanced up sheepishly at Layla who looked pointedly away from her, her cheeks flushing. "Look," she said thickly, "There's an order to things around here. We follow Mello's rules above all else. I won't have to hurt you if you just follow my orders, yeah?"

"Yeah," Erin said softly, trying to muster up the ability to smile at the Estonian girl.

"I don't care what you do while you're here, watch tv, eat whatever. But, you make one step outside of a door or window, you'll be shot. Mello's placed guards around every inch of this place. They've been ordered to shoot you on sight."

Erin blanched, Jesus Christ, these people were fucking serious about their hostages. She glanced at Matt who looked sheepishly down at his cigarettes.

It seemed as if everyone was a tiny bit relieved when the microwave let out an obnoxious beep.

Layla busied herself with pulling the soup out of the microwave and grabbing a spoon and napkin, placing them in front of Erin.

She ate in silence, noting that the soup wasn't really as strange as it looked. It was hearty with a slighty fishy taste but not anything bad. Besides that, she was starving for some real food, and Erin supposed almost anything would have tasted good to her at that point.

Then Layla sighed, "She needs clothes, new ones. Matt, take me shopping.

Erin glanced down, it was true too. Her own clothes were rather soiled and she realized she'd left the bag of her things at the mafia hideout...wherever it was.

Matt let out a groan, "Layla...I hate shopping with you. You're so picky."

Layla gave out a shrug, "You know how he is."

The goggled man nodded, "Yeah, fine. We'll go shopping. You owe me a video game though."

She gave him a curt nod, then retreated down the hallway to what Erin assumed was a bedroom.

Now, Matt sat across from her at the little table, "Erin," he said quietly, "Listen to me. We're gonna leave you here for a little while, snoop, do whatever. But please, don't step foot outside. Don't try to escape okay? Layla's not kidding when she says this place is guarded, and don't think for a second they won't shoot."

She gazed at Matt through impenetrable eyes, unable to hate the gentleness in his own. She trusted Matt, more than she probably should have.

"Fine."

"Ready." Layla said, stepping out in her usual attire of a black tank top and leather pants.

"Let's go then," Matt said, fishing his keys out of his pocket. He gave Erin one last, meaningful look before disappearing out of the door, leaving her alone in her new surroundings.

Almost instantly, Erin shot up to look around.

After all, Matt did say she was free to snoop. There'd have to be some information about this Mello character somewhere, and Erin knew she'd need it for her story.

The bedroom seemed the most logical place so she started there, leafing through the small bookshelf in the corner of the room.

Surprisingly several of the books were in Russian, and she could merely guess the titles from their cover pictures.

Most of them appeared to be classic works, Moby Dick, Oliver Twist, and several Shakespearean plays among them. However, in her haste, a single book slipped from the shelf. Erin glanced down at it, noting it to be a very worn copy of Lolita.

She opened the book's cover, slightly annoyed to find the word Mello written on the cover in neat, prompt lettering.

Afterwards, the book fell open to a page that almost seemed trained to go there. There was a single, highlighted paragraph, also underlined in dull pencil.

"_Through the darkness and the tender trees we could see the arabesques of lighted windows which, touched up by the colored inks of sensitive memory, appear to me now like playing cards-presumably because a bridge game was keeping the enemy busy. She trembled and twitched as I kissed the corner of her parted lips and the hot lobe of her ear."_

Erin blanched again, what kind of weird freaks were these people? Mello would totally be the type to be into little girls though. Although she had never read the book herself, she knew the basic principle was about a man who lusted after an eleven year old girl. How gross.

She wrinkled her nose in disgust at the thought of Layla being with Mello again. She was a hard nosed girl, maybe a little rough around the edges, but she didn't exactly seem the type to be into the weird kinks that Mello probably had.

Still though, the book looked very worn, and dog eared. It seemed that Mello had kept this little novel for a very long time.

Erin had been so distracted by the novel, that she didn't even hear the front door close, or the casual footsteps that were closer and closer to the door.

What she did hear however was that icy smooth voice and the crack of a chocolate bar.

"Having fun snooping through my things?"


	8. Violence

**Chapter Eight **- Violence

Erin jumped, the book flying out of her hands as she looked fearfully up at the blond man who stood casually in the doorway.

She gaped at him, opening and closing her mouth like a dying fish. "I-I-was...just looking! I swear!" she squeaked.

He said nothing, just merely strode past her. The action alone was enough to spur her into action and she slid against the edge of the bed, entire body quaking in fear.

Mello plucked the Lolita book from the ground, which still lay open on the highlighted page. He took one look at the page and gave a small sigh, shaking his angelic blond head that Erin had come to hate so much.

Then, he turned to gaze down at Erin, his chin tilted upwards viciously. He almost seemed like a wolf, the way his nostrils flared widely and his eyes thinned to mere slits.

"What the fuck are you doing in my apartment?" he hissed, voice dangerously low.

_Mello's apartment? I had assumed it was Layla's, not Mello's._ Erin thought, gazing up at him and simultaneously trying to blend in with the bed she was backed up against.

Almost thankfully she heard the door open again and heard Matt's lilting British accent.

"You always forget your goddamned bags Layla."

Then, Erin could hear Layla's thick accent. "Eh? Sorry. I have a lot on my mind."

Mello, who had been advancing closer and closer to Erin now glanced towards the door. His eyes narrowed again at the sound of Layla's voice and instantly he was springing out of the door.

Now, Erin could hear the startled shock in Layla's voice.

"Mello...I...I didn't think you'd be back today..." she sounded a little wary and Erin could hear the sound of someone's footsteps moving quickly and Layla's sharp cry of pain.

"Are you fucking stupid?" Mello snarled, "Bringing her here? Into _our_ house?"

Then there was the sharp sound of skin against skin and an enraged snarl.

Erin hadn't registered the feeling of Matt's arms around her and it took her a moment to realize that she had been slowly edging herself into the bed's corner.

"Come on kiddo. We should get out of here before they start tearing each other up."

"Tearing?" Erin said, her voice going several octaves higher.

There was the sharp sound of broken glass shattering on the wood floor and Matt's head turned sharply towards the noise before he spoke, "Bloody hell you two, knock it off!"

Then, he hoisted Erin up to her feet, "C'mon, let's go. We'll go see a film or something..."

He helped her out of the bedroom door, and Erin found herself assaulted by the sight of Layla slamming her fist into Mello's collarbone.

Was she fucking crazy? Hitting a guy who walked around with a gun in his pants?

Mello didn't seem to like that too much though and Erin almost cried out when she watched the blond man grab Layla's arms roughly to shove her into the nearest wall.

She turned and spit at Mello nastily, smirking slightly when she did so.

It seemed that this had enraged Mello and he grabbed her by the throat and pinned her there.

Eventually, Erin's sense of justice won out over her fear and she shot from Matt's grasp while the red haired man mumbled a curse.

She wormed in between the pair of fighting people and glared nastily up at Mello.

"Leave her alone!" she snapped, sounding far braver than she felt.

Both Mello and Layla looked down at her in surprise. But, Mello let go of Layla and she glared at him, mumbling something in her foreign tongue before stalking off into the bedroom to slam the door.

"Mind your own business!" Mello growled at her, pushing his face close to hers.

"So that's the kind of boyfriend you are?" she said, getting just as close. Erin knew she should be afraid but her anger at this impassive blond man was winning her over.

"You're just a bully." Erin spat. "You're just a fucking bully who beats on his fucking girlfriend."

Mello's face changed rapidly, first rage, then confusion, then fear. He whirled so fast that Erin almost lost her balance. Then, he was running towards Matt who he gripped by the shoulders.

His face was dangerously close to Matt's and Erin could hear a strange hint of panic in his tone, something that she never had heard from him before.

"How does she know?"

Matt, while still in Mello's vice grip managed to fish a packet of cigarettes from his pocket. Opening it, he spoke, "I told her Mello. She's not dangerous, she's not some psycho who's going to kidnap-"

Then, Mello grabbed the back of Matt's hair, causing the red haired man to cry out.

"Jesus! You fuckhead! Calm the fuck down!"

It was odd, and Erin noted how Mello suddenly shoved Matt away from him. He suddenly seemed abnormally calm. He backed off of Matt with a sigh.

"Get out. Take her too." he mumbled inclining his head at Erin.

"Where are we supposed to go? Do I take her back to headquarters?"

Mello's lips raised viciously. "I don't care where the fuck you take her. Seeing as you didn't care to even tell me you're letting the hostage in my fucking house."

Matt sighed and went over to Erin's side, holding her shoulders. "Come on, we should go."

The sound of Mello going into the bedroom was imminent and Erin cringed as the sound of Mello and Layla's argument echoed through the wall.

Matt yanked Erin out the door, despite her protests.

"We can't leave her alone with him!" Erin screeched.

Matt whirled around and gripped Erin's shoulders harshly. "Listen to me goddamn you! Don't get between them like that. Layla can handle Mello better than you or I."

The two of them strode to a beat up looking cadillac, several dents in the front of the car.

Matt snorted, "Layla can't drive for shit."

He pulled out Layla's set of keys and opened the door, once they were seated he gave her an apologetic sigh. "Sorry for yelling at you earlier...its just Mello's really stressed right now. We didn't tell him you were going to stay here."

"Why not?" Erin asked, her eyes furrowing as the goggled boy drove out of the apartments.

Matt lit a cigarette as the apartment gate was opening and let out a sigh. "Layla came up with it. Said it was cruel to keep you locked up like that." Then, Matt let out a tiny chuckle. "She does know what its like to be a hostage you know. She said she'd warm Mello up to the idea of you being here."

_It had been her idea?_ Erin thought. _She has more sympathy than I had imagined._

They drove in silence until Matt had finished his cigarette.

"He's really not that bad." Matt said softly and for a moment Erin was struck by the idea that the goggled man was trying to sell her Mello's goodness. "He's just really scared. Look, don't tell Mello I told you...but he thinks you're working under a mafia associate that he has some bad blood with."

Erin blanched, "Working under someone in the mafia? Why?"

Now, Matt looked frustrated, "I know you're just a reporter, I could tell by that innocent look in your eyes. But Mello won't risk it. He can't. This mafia associate hates him, he used to work under Top Cat, and he knows Mello killed him."

"Wait wait wait!" Erin spat, "Mello killed Top Cat?

Matt pulled into a gas station parking lot and turned to look at Erin, his eyes surprised. "Didn't you know?"

Erin shook her head vehemently, "I thought Mello worked under him, how old is Mello?"

"Mello's eighteen."

Erin blanched, the blond looked older than what she thought. Worn, and hungry for something Erin couldn't name.

"We'll let you go soon," Matt said softly, "I promise...just...you have to help Mello first."

Erin sighed, wondering exactly what Mello had in mind for her.


	9. Needle

_A/N: Sorry for the incredible lack of posting you guys. I've been working on a lot of plotting with On The Arrow, so it hasn't been being updated as regularly as I would like. However, now that the plot is firmly in place expect it to be updated at least once a week. Thanks again for being so wonderfully patient with me on this!_

**Chapter Nine **– Needle

"So let me get this straight," Erin said after a moment, staring blankly at Matt as he drove. "Mello killed Top Cat, and now thinks I'm working for his associate? What's Top Cat's associate want with him anyway?"

Matt sighed and gauzy pale smoke filtered between his teeth. "This is where it gets complicated. Top Cat had this lady friend who everyone called The Lucky Lady considering she was the only one of Top Cat's girlfriends who hadn't ever been killed by him."

"Yeah, so?" Erin said softly, leaning her head out of the window to feel the warm Los Angeles breeze on her face.

Matt flicked his half finished cigarette out the window and focused intently on the road again as he spoke, "Can you imagine how Lucky felt? Losing her beloved boyfriend to a mere fifteen year old kid? She's after Mello for revenge, and like Mello always told us there is no greater motivation then revenge."

She let out a sigh and leaned back against the leather seat of Layla's Corvette. Mello was quite obviously a nutcase. She had nothing to do with Top Cat, or this Lucky Lady, why was Mello so convinced she was out to get him? Sure, she had wanted a story, but she'd gladly give that up to see her parents and her brother, Farley.

A lump rose in her throat at the memory of her brother and she fought back tears, wondering when she would get to see him again, if at all.

"You okay, kiddo?" Matt said kindly, glancing over at her from his now, newly fixed goggles.

"Of course not!" she spat, "I'm being held captive for something I didn't fucking do! I don't know how long I've been here, I smell, I'm surrounded by a crazy couple who fight and hit each other and one of them shoved a pistol in my throat! Would you be alright?"

"No," the goggled man said after a moment, "I wouldn't be alright. I'd be bloody furious. For the record, you've been with us for two months...and as for the smelling thing, you don't smell that bad. If you like...I'll take you over to my boyfriend's place and you can get cleaned up."

"Your boyfriend?" Erin said after a moment.

Matt let out another sigh, and she could see the faint edge of a blush creeping into the man's cheeks.

"Yes, I have a boyfriend. His name is Mika."

Matt looked genuinely happy at the thought of his lover and Erin let out a small huff, "As long as you're nothing like Mello and Layla I'd be happy to meet your boyfriend."

"Great!"

They made a U-turn and after a few moments of comfortable silence they were driving down into a nicer area that appeared to be in the heart of Los Angeles. The apartments seemed to be well kept and a few people were walking dogs and chatting comfortably. Erin was sure the inside of these apartments were a lot nicer than Mello and Layla's place.

"What's your boyfriend do for a living?"

Matt smiled, "He's a musician. Lately though, he's been dabbling in producing albums, hence the nice apartment."

"No mafia boys?" Erin teased.

Matt blanched, "No way. Mafia men aren't ever gay. Well, maybe some of them keep it well hidden, but most of them are straight as a board."

As they drove slowly down the road, Erin spotted a young man with light, tousled brown hair who was setting down a garbage bag. Matt stopped the car directly in front of him and called out the window, "Take you someplace baby?"

The man peered up at Matt, at first looking angry, then he gave the goggled man a bright smile. "Matt! I am happy to see you! I was not expecting you." His accent was thick, and somehow reminded Erin of Layla's.

Suddenly, the man whom Erin guessed was Mika noticed her in the passengers seat. Deep sympathy appeared in his bright grey eyes, "Are you the one Mello is holding against her will?"

Erin nodded and Mika sighed, "Come inside my home. I will let you rest here."

Matt parked the car and Erin was surprised when Mika strode over to help her out of her seat. He placed both hands on her shoulders and looked her over carefully.

"Mello has not struck you has he?" Mika said.

Erin shook her head, "No. He...he just yells."

Mika scoffed, "I hate Mello. He thinks that he knows what it best for everyone. He lets his feelings blind him to what is truly best for every one around him."

"Don't start that love," Matt said softly, striding over to intertwine his fingers in the shorter man's own.

Mika gave him a little huff, "Why must you defend him so? You are as bad as my sister, although thankfully you are not dating him, as she is."

Understanding suddenly clicked in Erin's brain, "Layla's your sister?"

Mika nodded stiffly, "I am Layla's brother."

Matt however looked nervous, and Erin could tell that he didn't want her to begin spilling about Mello and Layla's fight earlier.

"Erin wants to take a bath." he said calmly.

Mika turned to Erin, smiling warmly, and she noticed the lip and eyebrow ring that glinted in the sunlight. "Of course."

He led Erin into his well furnished home and towards a large bathroom with a huge bathtub. He pulled out two towels and handed them to her before motioning to the vast array of bath soaps on the edge of the porcelain tub.

"Help yourself to whatever. I have some clothes here for Layla in case she ever needs refuge from her beloved monster. I think they will fit you." he said with a sigh.

He came back a few moments later with clothes that thankfully looked normal, just jeans and a shirt. Erin didn't think she'd look to well in Layla's leather pants.

After thanking the Estonian man profusely, he ruffled her hair affectionately. "Do not thank me. Just keep an eye out for my sister while you can."

When he left Erin set to work, stripping herself of her grime ridden clothes and making herself a pleasantly warm bubble bath.

The first step in the liquid was like heaven and she sighed as she sank into the water.

Mika seemed to be such a kind, gentle hearted man, and Erin wondered exactly why Layla's loyalty would lie with the blond mafioso instead of with her own blood. She contented herself by playing with the bubbles, blowing them off her fingers one by one before washing her hair.

After she was sure her skin was clean, Erin stepped out of the tub and dried herself off while gazing in the mirror. She looked a little worse for wear, and tiredness gripped at her eyes like a vice. Mika was Layla's brother, and she contemplated how she could use the Estonian man to get herself away from Mello, maybe save Layla in the process too.

Layla had someone here who seemed to be willing to care for her, but still she stayed with Mello, perhaps she just didn't know any better.

After slipping on her clothes and shoes, Erin pulled her hair up into a slightly damp pony tail and set out of the bathroom. She set out through the vast apartment and suddenly overheard the sound of Mika and Matt talking quietly.

"...I won't have it Matt!" Mika snarled, "He will not treat her like a dog!"

"He's just afraid," Matt fired back, "I know you mean well, but I think you need to stay out of it! There's a lot more going on here then you think!"

"You think I do not know?" Mika snapped, "You think I am stupid? I know that her little boyfriend is mafia. He is bad for her, for you too! Next thing I know you will be on the television, dead. And who will keep me company then?"

Matt's voice softened, "Mello tries, Mika. He does, he's not going about it correctly at the moment, but he's trying to keep us all safe."

Mika scoffed, "Is that all the Russian can do? He can only try? My sister had better be safe with him. He had better stop this foolish fighting with her, or I will get him myself."

Then Erin could hear the soft sound of Matt's laughter, "Oh Mika, you're so cute sometimes, I swear."

Then, Erin stepped out into the doorway to see Mika being pulled into Matt's arms.

"You feel better, yes?" Mika said, giving her a warm smile, still attached to Matt.

She nodded and smiled at the two of them.

Matt finally disentangled himself from his boyfriend, standing, "Well, why don't we go shopping Erin, we'll get you some clothes and by then Mello and Layla will have cooled down."

She nodded at the red haired man.

The two of them said goodbye to Mika, Matt pausing to kiss him before they drove off down towards a small shopping center.

"Your boyfriend is really nice!" Erin said kindly, feeling fresh and clean.

"Yeah?" Matt said happily, "He's pretty great, a bit over protective, but a good guy deep down."

"Shame Mello and Layla's relationship is nothing like yours." she added, thinking back on the way Mello had lifted up Layla against the wall.

"It can be," Matt said amicably, "Its just...a lot harder to love someone when you constantly put them in danger."

Sudden annoyance gripped at Erin and she sighed, "Oh don't give me that shit! Mello doesn't love her at all and you know it."

Matt let out a shrug, "You haven't known him long enough." he said, then fell into silence.

He drove her down to the shopping center and allowed her to get whatever she wanted for whatever price. He later explained (with several bags in tow) that Mello provided both him and Layla with a monthly thousand dollar stipend for whatever they wanted provided they didn't bother him too much.

Erin figured that even if Mello was a cold hearted bastard to the both of them, he certainly kept them well provided for.

When the two of them stopped to grab some food from a small vending machine Erin couldn't help but feel edgy when a man in a black turtleneck stopped beside her. He gazed mildly at the two of them for a moment before slapping Matt promptly in the side of the neck.

"Ow you bastard!" Matt snapped and when he pulled his hands away Erin saw a needle promptly poking out from his skin.

Without warning Matt clattered to the floor and Erin dropped on her knees to help the british boy.

"Oh my god! Are you okay? Matt, Matt, speak to me!"

By now, a crowd had gathered around the two and Erin had lost sight of the man in his black turtleneck.

Hastily grabbing up a phone from a shocked passerby Erin dialed a number and spoke quickly into the receiver.

"Yes, hello? My friend has just passed out, we're at the Los Angeles shopping center and he needs medical assistance right away!"

She was relived when the woman spoke calmly back.

"Very well, we'll send someone out right away."

She hung up and handed the phone back to the woman she had taken it from, her eyes still scanning the crowd for the man in the black turtleneck who had seemingly disappeared into thin air.


	10. Loyalty

**Chapter Ten** – Loyalty

_I have never hated anyone as much as I hate you. I hate your cold blue eyes, the way you survey everything with disgust and annoyance, I hate your voice always bitter, always angry. I hate your scar, the way it reflects your ugly personality. I hate your lips as they speak nothing but cruelty. I hate your hands, things you use to hurt and hit, the way they clench when she speaks to you. I hate your golden hair, the way it hangs about your face like a shroud, always hiding your gaze's intentions. I hate you, Mello._

These thoughts and more ran through Erin's head as she watched Mello rage in the hospital room. Shortly after calling emergency assistance, an ambulance had arrived carting both her and Matt away.

In hindsight, it probably would have seemed smarter to run, get away from Mello and his life of crime but it seemed wrong to leave Matt there, collapsed on the ground with a dart like needle poking out of his neck. She had held his hand until they had gotten to the hospital, where doctors had carted him away and told her to stay in the waiting room.

Mello and Layla had arrived a mere thirty minutes later. Unsurprisingly, there was also a fellow mafia associate who had seen Matt's collapse and had informed Mello of the incident. Unfortunately this same mafia associate had also informed Mello that Erin herself had injured the goggled man furthering Mello's suspicions that she was working under Lucky Lady.

"For the last time," Erin said wearily, "I didn't do anything to him. A man dressed in black came up to us and hit him in the neck."

"Right." Mello snarled, "Do you think I'm as stupid as you are, Blogger?"

"Mello." Layla said suddenly. She looked as tired as Erin felt and she recalled the harsh fight she and Mello had earlier that morning. She ran a hand through her long brown hair and let out a sigh. "There's no point in questioning her so incessantly. If she really is working for Lucky Lady its not like she'll speak easily."

Mello looked as if he might argue, but then fell into a heated silence. He then resumed his pacing, and Erin tried not to pay attention to the click of his boots on the tile.

"Are you all here for someone registered under the name of Matt?"

Both Erin and Layla jumped at the sound of the the voice. A doctor stood, looking squarely at the three of them in the waiting room.

Mello, as always, was hatefully calm. "Yes."

The doctor looked sheepish as he spoke, shuffling his shoulders, "I need his name, son."

Perhaps it had been Mello's all leather attire, or the tone of his voice, or even the scar that covered half his face that had clued the doctor in that Mello was not a man for giving out names like candy to children.

Since the whole issue with the Kira case, people, especially criminals did not want to give out their names. It seemed obvious to Erin that the question would have been like swinging an executioner's axe over Matt's head.

Mello shook his head.

The doctor it seemed, wanted to try a different approach. "Where are his parents? I can tell that he's only seventeen. He still lives with his parents doesn't he?"

At those words, both Mello and Layla stiffened and Erin was painfully reminded that the two of them did not have parents. But Matt did, didn't he? He'd never seemed to affected by talking about orphanages. But then the thought occurred to her, had Matt been in the orphanage too? Was that how he had known Mello and Layla originally, as little children? Had he watched Mello become a monster?

"Orphan." Mello said roughly.

The doctor's face seemingly sharpened, then softened. "I see."

"Just give me the facts," Mello said commandingly, "Can we just take him now?"

The doctor sighed and then spoke quietly, "This is against hospital policy, but yes. He's only been hit with a mild tranquilizer dart, the kind used for small game. Just give me thirty minutes to sign a release form. Would you like to wait in his room?"

"Fine." Mello said, and Erin noticed a minute change in his posture.

The doctor led the three of them to a hospital bed on a normal floor unit and Erin was surprised to see Mika already holding Matt's hand and standing by his bedside.

He turned to meet Mello's gaze first and Erin was shocked by the way his gray eyes suddenly became as hard as stone.

When the doctor left, Mika spoke in a heated whisper, "Just what happened to him? One of your mafia men called me and said he was in hospital. Why?"

"The hostage tried to kill him." Mello said, trying to keep his tone even.

_Bullshit!_ Erin thought, hating Mello with every breath he took.

Mika took a glance at her and scoffed, "She is just a young woman Mello. Not a murderer, she is not you."

"Oh really?" Mello snarled, "And please, Mika Levandi, what am I?"

The two men advanced on one another until Erin noticed Layla had disappeared from her side and had wormed her way in between both her brother and lover.

"This isn't the time." Layla said frantically gazing at both the men with an expression of anguish.

Mika looked down at her and Erin could see the similarities between the two Estonians were striking.

"Where you get that bruise from?" Mika said, pointing at a spot underneath Layla's collarbone that was becoming grey and purple where Mello had hit her. Layla instantly covered the spot with a manicured hand and leaned back into Mello.

Mello braced her with his arms and glowered at the Estonian man.

"Again?" Mika said, sounding frustrated, "You let him hurt you again?"

Erin felt relief flooding through her system, finally someone had enough sense to point out the obvious flaw in Mello and Layla's so called relationship.

"Are you a fucking idiot?" Mika snarled at his sister, "Staying with a Russian, with a man who cut your face open? He is bad Layla! He is nothing but trash! I refuse to believe you are so stupid, so crazy!"

"Mika!" she said, her voice sounding strangled and Erin realized with slight surprise that she was about to cry.

"Don't you fucking talk to her like that." Mello said suddenly, a dangerous edge taking his voice. "She's not crazy."

"Then she is an idiot!" Mika snapped back, "Any woman is an idiot that stays with a man who treats them like a dog."

Mello suddenly shoved Layla behind him, speaking tersely. "Go wait for me outside."

Layla however clutched at Mello's coat sleeve, her nails digging in the red leather, begging silently for something Erin couldn't name.

For a moment, Erin thought Mello was going to slap her and she stood, preparing to throw herself into the midst of their strange fights.

However, Mello moved his hand upwards, not to hit or strike, but to pull his coat off his shoulders which he handed to Layla. It seemed a strange gesture and Erin waited with baited breath to see what else the mafia man would do.

"Go outside," Mello said again, "Go smoke a cigarette, Kiska. Take her with you." he inclined his blond head at Erin and the two of them shared a glance before Layla and Erin strode outside of the room.

From the way Layla was walking Erin could tell she was fighting the urge to cry. However when they walked outside of the hospital, sobs erupted from the Estonian woman like a river bursting through a dam.

Layla stumbled blindly to a nearby bench and sat down, her entire body shaking with either emotion or the slightly cold air Los Angeles took to during the evening. It became apparent to Erin why why Mello had handed her his coat and the strange kindness of the gesture shocked her.

Layla however had no interest in putting on the coat and was attempting to stifle her sobs with her fist. It was the first time she and Erin had been in such close proximity and she couldn't help but notice how little Layla actually was. The top of her head barely reached Erin's collarbone and she sighed, sitting next to the girl and pulling Mello's coat from her so she could place it awkwardly over her shoulders.

She looked so pathetic crying that Erin almost hugged her, but didn't want to startle the girl too badly so she instead opted for clasping at the girl's hand.

The gesture still startled Layla and she turned to look at Erin quizzically, "You really don't know anything about Lucky Lady or any of us, do you?"

Erin felt as if the sky had opened up and beam of light finally shone down upon her. Finally someone understood what she had been trying to tell them, finally someone got it.

"How did you guess?" Erin said, trying not to betray her excitement.

Layla gave a noncommittal shrug, "You didn't run. You would have had the chance to run if you did hit Matt with tranquilizer, you did not. You stayed to help him."

The two of them fell into an awkward silence and Erin wracked her brain, trying to keep the girl talking, to learn more about her.

"What's Kiska mean?" she asked tentatively, recalling now both times Mello had used the word.

Layla looked surprised, then a smile flitted over her face. "Kiska, is Russian for kitten. It is Mello's way of giving affection to me."

Erin blinked, Mello...affection? Those two words didn't match up. When Mello had been calling her that it hadn't been an insult like Erin had suspected, it had been a term of endearment?

"Layla," Erin said softly, "How did you meet Mello? Matt, he told me you were orphans, but you have a brother."

"When I was a little girl," Layla began, her voice sounding far off as if she was reading from a fairy tale. "I lived with my mother and Mika in Estonia. My mother, a devout woman...did not like me. I heard voices as a little girl and every day I was exorcised by her to make them stop."

Erin blanched, the idea that a little girl would go through such a treatment every day made her pity the woman she had become even more.

"One day," Layla continued. "A man came to our home telling my mother that I was special. I have always been gifted with artistic abilities, and my paintings were becoming well known even as a little girl. My mother told this man that my gifts were from the devil and that I was evil. The man offered her a thousand american dollars in exchange for my safe passage to this orphanage that he claimed was for the most gifted children."

"Did you meet Mello in this orphanage?" Erin interjected but Layla held up a hand.

"I'm getting to that. When I arrived at the orphanage, I spoke very little english. The man who brought me there introduced me to Mello who was one of the most intelligent children in the place. He assigned Mello to teach me english. I met Matt, Mello's best friend soon afterwards."

"So Mello taught you to speak english?" Erin said slowly, "As a little boy?"

Layla shook her head, "You don't understand, Mello is brilliant. His I.Q score at seven years old was 180."

Erin stared incredulously at the woman, however, that would also explain why Mello would have been so adept at running the mafia at merely eighteen years old. She wondered if she would perhaps be pushing her luck by asking what was on her mind but the curiosity was overwhelming.

"How did Mello come to be in the Mafia?"

Layla sighed and twisted a lock of brown hair around her fingers.

"Mello's weakness is his emotions. When Mello was about to turn fifteen, the man who had saved me from my parents and who became a surrogate father to Mello was killed by Kira. Mello ran away from the orphanage. Originally, he set out to defeat Kira himself, thinking he was smart enough to do so. However, when he reached LA, he soon learned that the man who murdered his parents was running rampant in Los Angeles. This man was Top Cat."

Erin stared blankly at Layla, as much as she hated to admit it, she was starting to pity the young blond teenager. To begin to understand why he was who he was.

"Mello confronted Top Cat's rival gang, and told them he could bring them to great heights. They laughed in his face and told him if he was so clever he could bring down Top Cat himself." Layla's mouth quirked oddly, "Imagine how surprised they must have been when Mello came back two months later and with Top Cat's head in his hand."

Erin sat quietly beside Layla, trying to process all of this information. It was strange to understand now that Mello was not a mere cold blooded monster, but a mere teenage boy, someone who's life had been ransacked by Kira and by Top Cat as well. Mello just took things a bit further and actually got his own revenge.

It seemed easier to understand why Mello lashed out at everything around him. He was angry and beneath all that anger was fear for his life, and beneath that layer the ultimate thing was sadness. But suddenly her pity was stopped short when she recalled what Mika had said to her.

"Layla...that scar...on your nose, did Mello do that to you?"

Layla flushed suddenly, and reached up her hand to cover the distinct marking that lay across her face.

"Not directly." she said sheepishly.

Suddenly Erin was overwhelmed with anger, "How can you stay with him? How can you let him control you, hit you the way he does?"

Layla gave a noncommittal shrug. "I love him."

"How can you love someone who treats you that way?" Erin said, squeezing Layla's hand. "You could leave Mello! Run away from him and never come back."

To her surprise Layla began to laugh, a low throaty noise. "Leave Mello? I would never dream of it."

"Why?" Erin said fiercely, "You're so young Layla! You're what, sixteen? You're an amazing painter. You can be without him, refined men could fall at your feet if you wanted them too!"

Layla shook her head, then spoke with a strong kind of loyalty. "I love Mello. Mello and I will stay together until one of us dies."

"You keep saying how Mello loves you, but has he ever told you that?" Erin said, becoming annoyed with the Estonian's stubbornness.

Layla gave her a hard look, "I do not need him to tell me. I feel it, deep in my skin. He will tell me when the time for me to know comes."

"How long can you wait for that, Layla?" Erin said softly.

"Forever." Layla said sharply, "I will wait until I am dead. Beyond that too, if needed."


	11. Kiss

**Chapter Eleven** – Kiss

Both Erin and Layla were sitting on the bench when Mello finally walked outside. He didn't appear to have any marks on him from an argument with Mika, only wore that same haughty expression that was always painted on his face.

"Your brother is going to take Matt home with him." he said, glancing towards Layla.

She turned her gaze upwards, "Why? Wouldn't he be safer with us?"

"Not with her around us." Mello snapped, jerking his head in Erin's direction. "I would have left her at base if you hadn't stepped out of line and brought her to our fucking house."

"Oh don't give me that bullshit Mello!" Layla snarled, standing viciously, "We couldn't just leave her there, what with no clothes and hardly any food. There wasn't even a damn window in the room. She would have killed herself in there eventually."

"Don't you show her fucking sympathy!" Mello barked, "She's the bad guy here, not me. She's the one who slapped Matt with a tranquilizer."

"And didn't run?" Layla stated blankly, "Come off it Mello, she doesn't know a damned thing, just admit you made a mistake."

Now however, Mello looked furious and Erin let out a squeak of fear when Mello advanced on the two of them. He paid her no attention and knelt down until he was looking Layla directly in the eyes.

"Don't ever question me."

The statement was simple really, and delivered flatly but Erin couldn't help but recoil from the blond mafioso.

"Then don't question me either!" Layla growled, shoving at Mello's chest. "You don't know what its like to be held captive like that. I do."

"And I'm trying to keep it from happening again!" Mello snapped, leaning away from her and pulling a half eaten chocolate bar from his pocket and biting into it furiously. "I've told you my thoughts on Lucky Lady's plan. I've told you what she intends to do."

Layla now looked weary again, and she waved her hand dismissively, "Whatever you say, boss. Is Matt okay?"

Mello retreated and Erin sat up a little straighter, feeling that now it was safer to regain her posture.

"He's fine," Mello muttered, "he was a little out of it, but he'll be fine."

Layla nodded, seemingly pleased with his answer and fished out a pack of cigarettes and lighter from Mello's coat pocket. She placed the slender stick in her mouth and while blocking it from the wind, lit the tobacco, inhaling sharply.

After a moment of holding in the smoke, she exhaled.

Erin herself had never really been much of a fan of cigarettes. She hated them in all honesty, hated the way they looked, smelled, and probably tasted. If they tasted anything like the smoke that flew from Layla's lips anyway.

She spluttered, coughing as great big tears rolled down her cheeks. Layla looked almost apologetic and she waved her hand, trying to clear some of the smoke that surrounded the two of them.

It seemed this action spurred Mello's anger further and he folded his arms over his chest, looking quite cross.

"Don't fucking treat her like she's your buddy now. She can deal with breathing in your goddamned cigarette smoke." he snarled.

"Jesus Christ, Mello, stop being such a child." Layla snapped back, puffing on the cigarette and thankfully blowing the smoke away from Erin's face. "I'm not doing it because she's my best friend or something. What if she has asthma?"

Mello rolled his eyes, "Oh right, and you're so worried about it because there's no possible way we could stop an asthma attack right in front of a hospital."

"Well you were the one who bitched about Matt being put in the hospital in the first place because of 'security'." she said, sneering at the blond.

Did these two ever just get along? Erin was beginning to doubt they were even friends, much less lovers, the two of them couldn't seem to have a peaceful moment together without Mello accusing someone of something or Layla egging on his anger.

It seemed strange how Layla could profess her undying devotion towards the teen boy, but whenever she was actually with the object of her affection he did nothing but command everything while she argued anything he said. It almost seemed like Layla fired things back simply because she _could._

Then the realization struck her. That was it exactly. Layla fought with Mello simply because she could, because she knew Mello wouldn't ever go far enough to kill her. He would hit her, scream obscenities until he was blue in the face, but he'd never ever pointed that gun at her, at least not that Erin had seen anyway. It almost seemed...in an odd way that the two of them almost enjoyed arguing.

Well, she didn't enjoy their arguing one bit, and to break the two's bickering she spoke, "I'm fine, I don't have asthma, smoke doesn't bother me."

Layla looked a little annoyed as if she had been slapped in the face and Erin realized with some regret that she had just proved everything Mello had said to be correct. The thought of aiding the man was almost enough to send her into another coughing fit...of disgust.

"You see?" Mello sneered, "I told you. Now hurry up and get to the fucking car. It's chilly outside."

The three of them walked to the car in silence, Mello strutting ahead and Layla in step beside Erin.

They strode to Mello's Ferrari and Erin watched in slight fascination as Mello pulled out his keys and punched a small number into a tiny remote on the keyring. The doors unlocked and Erin slid into the backseat silently while Layla slid in next to Mello in the passenger seat.

Because her last experience in Mello's car had been, traumatizing to say the least Erin hadn't really gotten a chance to study the interior of Mello's car.

It seemed clean, almost spotless, and Erin fingered the leather that was underneath her. There was a small compartment beside her seat, well hidden and imbedded in the leather. She spared a glance up at Mello who was driving concentratedly and Layla who was falling asleep against the window.

Erin slipped her hand underneath the clasp of the compartment, and shifted it silently. _Just a peek,_ she told herself. The top of the compartment slid open easily, obviously a sign of good craftsmanship and peered inside.

Inside was what looked to be a simple grenade held inside of a thick foam casing so that it would not be disturbed during a drive or sudden stop.

"Don't think about using that on me, bitch." Mello snapped glaring at her through the rearview mirror.

Layla stirred as if she might wake up and Mello lowered his voice. "You ever set off a grenade Blogger?"

They had pulled into the apartments now, and Erin blanched when Mello turned around to face her, grinning maliciously.

"N-no." she stuttered quietly.

"You set that grenade off, and you'll have yourself some serious pain to wake up too. Its like being engulfed in flames." Mello let out a soft snigger, "Actually, you are engulfed in flames, if you don't run your ass off. It'd leave you some nice scars on your hand and arms, so you use that as a last resort Blogger."

Then, Mello was slipping off his glove and Erin could see in the dim light of his car that there was a slim burn scar that covered the top portion of his hand. Although it was not as prominent as the one on his face it became apparent to Erin why she had never seen the man without gloves on.

"But, if you can handle the pain." Mello crooned, "By all means, you set off that grenade."

Wordlessly, Erin shut the compartment and Mello smirked. "I thought so."

What would make a teenager that desperate? Erin wondered. What would make someone feel that they had no choice but to set off an explosive device? What had pushed Mello that far over the edge to feel that he had to either face disfigurement, or perhaps death.

Mello slipped his glove back on and prodded Layla's shoulder roughly. "Get up." he snapped at her, "We're home."

"Alright," Layla moaned, "Okay. Jesus Christ I'm tired."

Mello said nothing, merely shoved her again to probe her into getting out of the car. Erin got out too, standing silently beside a yawning Layla while they both waited for Mello to lock up the car.

Afterwards he strode into the apartment complex and towards their apartment door which he slipped a key into and opened.

Wordlessly the three of them stood in the entryway for a moment, Layla combing her fingers through her hair and unzipping Mello's coat and hanging it over the back of the couch. Mello yawned, and finished off his chocolate bar before crumpling the foil and tossing it in a nearby trashcan.

After a moment he spoke. "Going to bed. She can sleep on the couch."

Then he strode into the bedroom, leaving Erin and Layla alone in the living room.

Layla yawned again and pulled two thick quilts from a shelf beside the leather couches. She placed one blanket neatly over the cushions and turned to give Erin a quick smile.

"These things are awful to get stuck too." Then she handed Erin the other quilt.

Erin sat down onto the couch and Layla brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Look," she said sternly pointing to a door a few feet away from the bedroom. "There's the bathroom. Don't be afraid to take a piss okay? Mello's not going to bother you."

Erin nodded and mumbled a thank you before Layla disappeared into the bedroom and shut the door.

Suddenly, exhaustion overtook Erin and she reached over, unfolding the quilt in her hands and wrapping it around herself until she was moderately comfortable. After a few moments, sleep overtook her like a vampire.

"...don't really think she's part of Lucky Lady's crew."

Erin's eyes fluttered slightly and in those few quick seconds she caught a glimpse of Mello and Layla standing in the doorway of their bedroom, the light from what appeared to be a television slightly illuminating their figures.

She squeezed her eyes shut as Mello spoke, willing herself not to move and attract attention.

"I don't give a damn what you think." Mello said, although now, there wasn't much fight in his voice.

"She doesn't know anything Mello, she really doesn't. She's as useless as an empty potato sack." Layla said, her voice seeming quiet too, more docile then before.

"We'll see when the time comes." Mello said sternly.

Now though her voice wavered, seeming a little hesitant. "Mello...be careful. You've always said that revenge is the greatest motivator, Lucky Lady wants revenge and you know it."

Now Erin opened her eyes up to slits, curious how the mafia boss would react.

Layla had her hands on Mello's chest and she stood up on her tiptoes to gaze imploringly into Mello's eyes. Her fingertips grazed Mello's lips and he let out a little sigh.

"Quit worrying and have some faith in me." he snapped softly although like before there was no real threat in his voice.

"But what if something happens to you?" Layla murmured, "What if...if you don't come back...who...who would tell me what to do all the time?" she said, and Erin wondered if she was joking or being absolutely serious.

Then Mello kissed her.

The shock of it alone was enough to make Erin's eyes open wide.

It wasn't forceful, or cruel, the way she assumed kisses with the blond criminal must have been. It almost looked like something you'd see in a photograph. The way Mello placed his gloved hands on her shoulders and then pressed his lips to hers for a mere three seconds. Then he pulled away and Erin watched, slightly fascinated when he pressed his palm to her cheek.

"Don't worry about me." he said sternly and he slipped his hand down to grasp at her own before pulling her back into the bedroom and shutting the door softly.

Erin rolled over on the couch, her mind still swimming with the image of Mello's chaste kiss. Was it moments like those that made Layla loyal? Was that why she devoted her efforts to making him happy?

Then, another thought struck her. Layla had asked Mello who would have bossed her around if he was gone. Did that mean she_ liked _it? Did she want to be with a man who told her what to do all the time? It just didn't add up, at least in Erin's mind, being bossed around didn't seem fair in a relationship, not one bit. She'd _never_ have let a man talk to her the way Mello did with Layla.

But...Layla seemed weak in a way, and Erin smirked a little, here she was one of the world's biggest crybabies calling someone weak. But it was true, Layla almost reminded Erin of barely trained puppy, one that would bite when harassed but in the end would still pine for its owner if they were gone for a day.

And what about Mello? He had seemed so gentle in that moment, loving and reassuring like a proper boyfriend should be.

And Mello was the furthest thing from a proper boyfriend. Pulling the cover over her head she deemed that Mello was only acting nice as a way to get Layla into the sheets.

It seemed like something Mello would do anyway.


	12. Taken

**Chapter Twelve** – Taken

Erin found that mornings in Mello's apartment were unusually quiet. At about nine in the morning she awoke, her back stiff from sleeping on the couch. It had been the noise of the coffeemaker that had awoken her, the guzzling sounds making her jolt awake and the aroma of coffee was so strong it nearly seemed pungent.

Layla blinked at her from over the kitchen counter and cocked her head almost apologetically. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry."

It seemed odd that Layla would apologize to her for anything, but Erin supposed that after telling her a little bit about her life she was more comfortable around her. Maybe she even considered her a friend.

"S'okay." Erin said sleepily, rubbing her eyes against the urge to fall back asleep.

"Want some coffee?" Layla asked, "I need to have coffee in the morning or else I'm as grouchy as a tired dog."

Layla poured herself a mug of the hot, steaming liquid and took a few sips, her nails clicking on the ceramic in a way that Erin almost considered maddening. However she wasn't stupid enough to tell her so.

"No thanks," Erin said yawning.

Surprisingly, after a moment. Layla came over to sit by Erin's side on the couch, and she tried not to look at the part in Layla's silk robe that lifted slightly to reveal her thigh.

After lighting a cigarette and taking a few more sips of coffee, Layla spoke, "I tried to convince him last night you had nothing to do with any of this."

I know, Erin wanted to say, recalling their strange, heated kiss in the doorway of their bedroom. Instead, she just pretended to look interested in what Layla had to say.

"He wasn't convinced at all...I'm not sure what I can do...but I'll keep trying." she said, glancing at the clock and letting out a sigh. "It's almost time for Mello to wake up, I'd better go get back in bed. He worries if I'm not there when he wakes up."

Then she turned to give Erin a slight smile, "Why don't you go ahead and take a shower so you won't bother Mello. If I'm a grouchy dog, that should tell you Mello's a big growling bear in the morning."

Wincing, Erin nodded and waited for Layla to disappear into her bedroom before striding into the bathroom.

The bathroom was in obvious need of tile repairs and Erin noted a few small cracks in the mirror above the sink and counter. It seemed odd, looking through the various bottles of perfume that sat on the shelf. It seemed even stranger to Erin that both she and Layla had similar taste in perfume. It was something strangely human, and after all what was more human then a bathroom?

In a cabinet to the left of the sink was were Erin found both towels and Mello's sparse toiletries. She noted with surprise the shaving utensils and shaving cream. It was almost funny to imagine Mello shaving and she wondered if he too, like every other man on the planet had to shave his face after a few days. He'd always seemed baby smooth when he and Erin had been in close enough proximity. Although at the time, she'd been afraid for her life and not very interested in counting his chin hair.

After locking the door securely, Erin began stripping herself of clothes and turned on the hot water. Despite the bathroom's poor appearance, Erin was grateful for the generous amount of hot water that gushed forth from the bathtub's faucet.

Stripping herself bare, Erin stepped into the hot water and let out a happy sigh as she began to wash her skin and hair. Bathing was something she had never fully appreciated until she'd been without it for days.

After spending a good amount of time in the tub, Erin snatched at the towel she had tossed on the floor and dried herself off before putting back on the clothes she had worn before.

She tossed the towel over the rack and attempted to comb her fingers through her wet hair in an attempt to make herself seem more neat looking before deeming it good enough and going to open the bathroom door.

Unfortunately when she opened the door, Mello was a mere foot away from her looking at her as if she had inconvenienced his entire life by occupying the bathroom. She noticed that now however he was shirtless, his leather pants still on over his bare feet.

Erin recalled their earlier situation when he had halfway explained to her where he had received his scar and now she realized exactly what he meant. The scar that was on the right side of his face also went all the way down his neck, to his shoulder, where it stopped on his forearm. It was surprisingly massive and Erin wondered exactly how he had managed to make it through pain like that.

Mello however, didn't appear to care that he was shirtless in front of her and made a dramatic gesture for her to get out of his way. She scampered past him, trying to ignore the fact that they were close enough to touch.

He shut the door loudly behind her and she could have sworn she heard him mumble something about rude house guests.

When Erin passed their open bedroom door Layla lay on her stomach on the bed, surfing on what Erin assumed was Mello's laptop. She gave Erin a slight smile and motioned for her to come in the room with her hand.

"Hand me that grey polish." she said, pointing a long nail to a various assortment of nail polish colors that lay on the shelf next to the bed. Erin did as she was told, handing the girl the glass bottle filled with shimmering liquid that Layla began carefully applying to each nail.

"Watch." she said after a moment, "Right after I finish this hand, Mello will call for me to bring him a towel. He always forgets to grab one before taking a shower."

Sure enough, as soon as Layla had finished applying the brush to her pinky nail, Mello called out for her, sounding rather annoyed.

"Layla! Get me a towel."

She rolled her eyes at Erin and sighed, "Forget again, Mello?" she called out cheerfully.

"We can't all have perfect memory!" Mello snarled back, "Now get me a fucking towel."

Seeming a little cheerful, Layla bounded into the bathroom, seeming completely unabashed at seeing the mafioso in his skivvies.

Erin strode out of the bedroom, wracking her brain at the strange new bits of information she had received. It seemed strange that Layla could be so unafraid of him, could kiss his lips and touch that scar without revulsion. She wondered how it felt, rough and dry, or maybe thin as paper.

When she sat back down on the couch and began folding the blankets she had used she was surprised when Matt walked through the door, his neck covered by a slim bandage.

"Matt!" she said, shocked at how loud her voice seemed, "You're back, are you okay?"

The redheaded teen raised a hand awkwardly and wouldn't meet her eyes when he finally mumbled back a quiet, "Fine."

Did he really believe she did it? Did he think that she had honestly shoved a needle in his neck in a vain attempt to escape? Surely Matt, her only real friend in this place didn't believe she had attempted to harm him, after all the kindness he'd shown her.

"You...you don't think I did that? Do you Matt?"

When the red haired boy was silent for a few moments Erin looked away trying not to cry. She liked Matt best of the three teenagers, and their was an empty space in her chest as if she had truly lost a good friend.

_Look who's developing Stockholm Syndrome now._ She thought bitterly.

"Of course he doesn't." Layla snapped, making both Matt and Erin jump collectively.

Layla appeared to be annoyed and behind her Erin noticed Mello stride into the bedroom, hair sopping wet and a towel wrapped firmly around his waist.

"Do you, Matt?" she said commandingly, fixing the boy with a firm stare. "She stayed even after you were hit, and rode in the ambulance with you. She wouldn't have done that if she was trying to escape."

After a moment of gazing at Layla, Matt nodded and sent a momentary smile Erin's way before Mello's harsh voice rang out above them all.

He had since strode out of the bedroom, fully dressed in that hatefully shiny leather of his, his hair still slightly damp.

"Layla, keep that goddamned big mouth of yours shut." Mello snapped, giving her a glare. "You've disobeyed my orders enough now, haven't you, you fucking moron. If it wasn't for your meddling, Matt wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place!"

Surprisingly, Layla looked hurt and Erin felt a quick burst of pity as Layla turned her head away from Mello and spoke, her tone clipped and precise. "Of course. Sorry."

"Who are you loyal to anyway?" Mello said with a heated sigh. "You've never been so disobedient. I'll fucking go if this shit keeps going on. You keep your mouth shut."

Intense, fiery hate boiled in Erin's chest. What a cruel thing to say to someone who loved you, Mello knew Layla loved him and didn't want to leave, knew it and was using her fear against her. Fucking dirty bastard he was.

Her nod too, was clipped but Erin noted that her hands were shaking with either rage or hurt, she couldn't tell.

Suddenly the sound of a gunshots rang out into the air and the glass window near Matt's head shattered sending him ducking downwards to cover Erin with his own body.

Mello's swears rang out around them and she heard another gunshot, this one in much closer proximity, and probably fired by Mello.

It seemed surreal, being up against Matt's chest and hearing his heart beat sporadically against her ears. The sounds of yelling and firing were muffled against Matt's heartbeat, and Erin shook underneath him, fearful that somehow both the sounds of yelling and Matt's heartbeat would stop.

There was the sound of footsteps, getting farther away from them and finally the door was busted in, the splintering of wood seeming loud enough to break the sound barrier. Then Matt was pulling her over the edge of the couch into a corner. Out of a glimpse of her firmly shut eyes, Erin saw several men in black turtlenecks.

Then a faint, muffled scream as one of the men grabbed at Layla who was attempting to reach for a knife she had hidden in her boot. He hit her in the stomach once and she slumped over. He handed her to another man and he took her outside while the other three surveyed the damage.

She attempted to tell Matt that they had just taken Layla but he placed a finger firmly to his lips while his eyes darted around quickly. Erin could tell he was already thinking of a way for them to escape.

Then there was silence, and Erin could hear the frantic sound of Mello practically yelling heated Russian into the phone.

Then one of the men scoffed, his voice gruff, "Should we go ambush him?"

The one who had first grabbed Layla spoke, and Erin could tell from the commanding tone in his voice that he was the one in charge.

"No. Lucky Lady wants him alive. We're to get the girl, then move out."

"What about the kid we followed here?" another asked, "The one with the red hair."

Again, the leader spoke, "He's probably in the room with Mello. We'll let him live too. Lucky Lady wants them to see her when it happens."

_When what happens?_ Erin wondered, her hands shaking so hard against Matt's chest that the vibration made his skin ripple. At least their words indicated that they had no idea about her and Matt hiding in a corner by the couch.

They didn't leave in the same fashion as they had come, calmly walking through the now busted door, driving themselves and Layla to wherever they wanted Mello to follow.

After several minutes of silence and Mello's panicked commands ringing through the house, Matt wet his lips and spoke.

"You alright kiddo?"

She had attempted to nod, but the sudden shock of the incident sent Erin into tears while Matt patted her shoulders awkwardly.

"Look kiddo," he said, "You can't cry right now. Dry up those tears, real fast."

He stood, then surveyed the mess that was Mello and Layla's living room. Then he ran his hands through his own hair, looking as if he might cry himself.

"They took her. Goddamn it." he mumbled, "Mello why didn't you take her in there with you? _Fuck._"

Now, Erin's tears were spilling more. "That fucking bastard!" she choked out, "He sacrificed all of us to save his own ass!"

Suddenly, Matt affixed her with a stern glare. "Since they followed me home, and Mello thinks you're the one who attacked me, he's going to think you're the missing link."

"Wha- what do you mean?" Erin blubbered, "If I was with them wouldn't they have taken me too?"

Matt shook his head, "Not if Lucky Lady wanted you to lead us to their hideout."

Then the teen covered his eyes with the palms of his hands and bent over as if he was having the worst headache of his life.

"Jesus Christ, Erin...I don't know what Mello's going to do about this. Prepare yourself."

Every fiber of her being suddenly stiffened, "Y-you...why can't you let me go!"

Matt looked at her pityingly, pleadingly. "Erin they've taken his fucking girlfriend! I can't let you go over something like this, I can't. I'm sorry."

For the third time since she had been with them she attempted to run, but as always, Matt was quicker. He jumped on her waist and brought her down onto the floor, splinters of wood digging into her shin.

He straddled her back and fished around in his pocket where he pulled out a roll of electrical tape and bound her wrists and feet tightly before setting her on the couch again.

"You coward!" she cried out, tears now coursing down her cheeks as she struggled against the bonds "You fucking coward! You're just going to hand me over to him?"

"I'm sorry okay!" Matt bit out, his tone almost as rough and abrasive as Mello's own, "I didn't expect them to take Layla, I expected them to take you! Jesus Christ, I can't just leave Mello hanging on this one! I've known Layla since I was eight years old and Mello since I was six, they're my family as much as they are my friends."

"Well what about me?" Erin demanded, "Aren't we friends?"

"If you have anything to do with this, then no."

It was then that Mello walked back out of the bedroom and surveyed the damaged living room. It was then that Erin noticed that blood was coursing down his shoulder in rivets over his leather shirt.

"Mello, are you okay?" Matt asked, his tone strict and business like.

"Fine." Mello said gruffly, "A bullet grazed my shoulder but I'm fine."

Then his eyes widened when he saw Erin sitting bound on the couch, "What the hell is she still doing here? I heard them say they got the girl."

Now, Matt's voice cracked and he sounded as if he might start crying, "Fuck Mello, they got Layla. They fucking took her."


	13. Flames

**Chapter Thirteen** – Flames

At Matt's words, Mello's face contorted into a pure animalistic rage, the likes of which Erin had hardly ever seen before. With a speed that she had never seen from a human, Mello jumped over to her, knocking her backwards onto the couch. He pressed his forearm hard against her throat so that in a matter of seconds she was gasping for breath.

He leaned into her face, his voice dangerously low and when he spoke, the cloying smell of chocolate hovered around her face. "Where is she?"

Erin felt it was dangerous to speak, she couldn't even imagine his reaction if she told him she honestly had no idea. His pupils were nearly narrowed to slits when he pressed his arm harder against her throat.

"Speak." he commanded, "If you don't give me some kind of answer, I swear I'll kill you."

Still, fear was gripping Erin so tightly that she could barely even form a coherent sentence just mere babbling falling from her lips like a small child who had been caught swiping cookies. Although this was not nearly as cheerful as cookies.

Still though, her fear froze her from making coherent noises and Mello seemed to become more and more frustrated, his eyes becoming more narrow with every passing second.

Until finally, he pulled his arm away and reached into his back pocket to pull out a switchblade. He opened it with his teeth and was grinning at her like a feral cat. When he leaned over the blood from his shoulder began dripping unceremoniously on her arm and Erin nearly gagged.

_Oh god,_ she thought. _He's bleeding on me, oh my god he has a knife. He means to kill me this time, I can see it in his eyes. I don't want to die like this._

Mello waved the blade in front of her eyes, pressing the flat edge of the blade delicately over her throat.

"If you don't speak, I'll fucking kill you." he sneered.

"Jesus Christ Erin!" Matt bellowed, staring at her from behind Mello where he had remained silent for most of the ordeal. "Just fucking talk, I don't want to see you die!"

"I don't know." Erin choked out finally, "I don't know where she is."

"Lies!" Mello hissed, pressing his arm down on her throat again, "I don't have time for these games! If there is a fucking scratch on Layla by the time I get to her, I swear to God I'll kill you."

Then with a surprising display of agility, Mello leapt off her and quickly ran to grab at his laptop that sat on his bed.

When he came back he sat it down on the edge of the couch, quickly bending over to open a program. After a few moments of waiting a map appeared on the screen, a blinking red light seemingly showing a car that was traveling at moderate speed.

"What is that Mello?" Matt asked, peering at the computer screen, seemingly perplexed.

"A tracking device," Mello answered, pulling out his phone, "I installed it on one of the the beads on Layla's necklace after she was kidnapped previously."

"Does she know about it?" Matt asked.

Mello shook his head, "Do you honestly think she'd wear that necklace if she did?"

Rapidly, Mello began speaking into the phone, "Y-564, I need you to follow a vehicle for me. Right now. I'm forwarding you the tracking information." he paused to type a few more things into the computer and then spoke, "Layla's in that car. Follow her and see exactly where it parks. Call me as soon as you see her."

Then he hung up the phone, looking more worried then Erin had ever seen him.

"Fuck!" he growled, "Goddamn that whore to hell."

Then as quick as he had leapt off her, Mello was grabbing Erin roughly by the arms dragging her outside where the cold night air hit her skin like needles. She was scraped roughly along the concrete, burning the areas where her flesh was exposed but she didn't dare cry out. Crying out might elicit her tormenter to kill her faster.

Erin didn't attempt to struggle either, Mello was in a state she had never seen before, on the outside he seemed calm and collected as always, but when Erin had been close to his eyes there was an underlying panic in the blue orbs, a fear that seemed almost childlike. But Erin wasn't sure what kind of fear it was.

Was it fear of losing a game with his mafia rival, or was it something else? Was it fear of losing someone who cared for him? Maybe, just maybe he cared for her as much as she did for him.

When they reached Mello's convertible, Matt took hold of her legs and together both of the boys tossed Erin into the backseat, neither seeming to care when she let out a pained squeak as she hit the edge of the door with her forehead.

As Mello was getting into the driver's seat, his cellphone rang and he answered, his tone firm and controlled as always.

"Have you found her, is she hurt?" he asked while Matt looked at him seriously.

"Very well," Mello said after a moment, "No, do not take action. I'll deal with this alone."

Then he snapped the phone shut, the sound permeating the air.

"Well," Matt said anxiously, "what's her status?"

"Alive." Mello said, his tone clipped. "He said he saw her being put on one of the boats in the Los Angeles harbor, but there were so many of them that he couldn't see which one she was on."

"That's a relief then." Matt said.

Mello gave the redhead a curt nod, and began driving at a slightly speeded pace, "We'll go to the harbor, give her Blogger in exchange for Layla."

At the sound of her last name Erin's heart began beating erratically. Would Mello really hand her over to another mafia boss? Surely this Lucky Lady would not show her mercy. She seemed bloodthirsty, thirsty for revenge, and Erin was positive the woman would kill her when she found Erin completely useless.

There seemed to be no answer, no prayer she could offer to anyone that would save her. Here she was at the mercy of Layla's life and Erin knew that if Layla died, Mello would kill her as well, his eyes had told her that much.

Her thoughts drifted to her parents, her mother, her father, and her brother Farley. Tears began streaming unbidden down her cheeks, would they ever even know she was dead? The Mafia had people everywhere, police stations, newspaper printers, hell, Erin wouldn't have even been surprised if the mafia had people working in goddamned McDonalds.

How would her family ever know she was dead? Would they just be forced to wait by the phone, following endless leads on a missing person's case. Her father would die, Erin had always been his princess, his little girl. He wouldn't know what to do if something happened to her.

The streetlights illuminated the car every few seconds and Erin tried to distract herself by counting the lights, counting until the car was pulled to a stop and she'd be forced to walk into what might be her own demise.

But, after a while the car did stop and when Mello opened the door Erin could smell the scent of seawater, clean and salty.

The sound of Mello's gun cocking was the next thing she heard as Matt cut the bonds around her feet and hands. He pulled her out on her feet and turned her so that she was facing a large black van where an older woman stood a few feet away, her cropped strawberry blond hair glinting in the light of the harbor.

Erin felt the muzzle of Mello's gun resting firmly against her spine and he spoke quietly in her ear.

"Walk."

Erin did as Mello told her, walking towards that woman who's smile seemed to grow with every step they took together. When they got closer to her, Erin noticed that the woman seemed to be in her mid-forties, lines drawing over her face, making it appear as if her brow was always furrowed. Her bright green eyes glittered maliciously when she caught a glimpse of Mello.

"Well well well," she said, and Erin was surprised to detect a smooth southern drawl in her tone. "Mello, the Mafia Prince. Its been a mighty long time."

"Lucky," Mello said, inclining his head in mock greeting. Then, Mello shoved Erin forward, "I have your little puppet."

Suddenly, Lucky Lady began to laugh, bending over and slapping at her knee. Out of the corner of her eyes Erin saw both Mello and Matt's faces contorting and they shared a confused glance before Matt spoke.

"What's so bloody funny?"

Lucky Lady wiped mock tears from her eyes and gave the three of them a simpering smile, "Well god damn Mello, I didn't figure you for a fool, but I gotta admit, ya'll sure fell easily for my little trap."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Mello snarled, taking the gun away from Erin's back and now pointing it at Lucky.

She didn't bat an eye, merely blinked at him, then looked directly at Erin.

"Maria!" she called over her shoulder, "Come out here to say howdy to these folks."

A young hispanic woman stepped out of the shadows and Erin gasped in understanding. Maria Lopez was a young editor that worked with her at the LA Sun. When Erin had gotten her idea about interviewing the man who killed Top Cat, Maria had jumped at the idea. At the time, Erin had never considered it suspicious, but Maria had known an awful lot about who was working for the mafia, and had even tracked down Mello's hideout with surprising ease. But now, it seemed hatefully clear. Maria worked for the mafia, and had set Erin up, making it look as if Erin was the spy when it had really been her all along.

"But who made the call?" Erin asked suddenly, "Who called Mello and reported me to him?"

"Maria did." Mello said bristling. "I thought she was working for us. She was the one who's been infiltrating us. You're a spy for Lucky Lady."

"Why?" Erin asked, looking at her former coworker, "Why'd you set me up? I thought we were friends!"

"Sorry Erin." Maria mumbled looking down, "But...I had to...Lucky Lady got a hold of my little brother, she's been holding him ransom for months. She said if I didn't help her set up Mello she would kill my brother.

I joined Mello's mafia first, learned a little about them, learned their code names at night, and went to work with you during the day. I wasn't sure how, or who I was going to set up to be the bait, but then you got that idea to do that story. I helped you, made sure you had all the right information on your files so Mello could access them and make it look like you were guilty.

So I called it into Mello personally, told him that it was you who was infiltrating them and the next day when you were asleep in your home I called in with Mello and they kidnapped you."

Bile rose up in Erin's throat, and she pushed back the urge to vomit. This was unfair, unreal, how on earth could someone she worked with ever single day betray her in such a way.

Maria looked over at Lucky Lady and spoke, "My brother. I've done all that you've asked. Give me my little brother."

Lucky Lady smirked at her and snapped her fingers. Almost instantly two men pulled up from behind one of the cars in the parking lot and with them was a small child, barely ten years old. At the sight of Maria he burst into tears and ran into her arms while she collapsed with him pressed against her.

"Ya'll take her and the young'un home." Lucky Lady said to the two men and they nodded helping Maria and her little brother into the van where they drove out of the parking lot.

But Mello it seemed was losing patience, and finally he roared out, "Where the fuck is Layla you cunt?"

Lucky Lady's mouth twitched and she gave him a smirk, "I never thought in a billion years the son of Kolenka Keehl would be standing in front of me, raising his gun at me just like his father did eleven years ago. You know, Mello I was there when Top Cat shot your parents, course he and I never dreamed he'd had a son. Thought it was just him and that pretty ballerina mama of yours, you look an awful lot like her, and I'd know seeing as I watched her bleed to death on the bed. Did you hide under that bed? Did you hear the sounds of her dying?"

"SHUT UP!" Mello snarled, waving his gun wildly.

Lucky Lady just looked amused, "I bet that stings an awful lot, don't it Mello? Coming face to face with your parents' murderer?

I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised when two years ago you came to Los Angeles and became so powerful. But Top Cat, he wasn't scared of ya. Said you were just a meddling little boy who could be dealt with easily. But you came late in the night, remember? You snuck in when we were sleeping, you yellow bellied bastard. You tied me up, made me watch as you cut his head clean off his shoulders."

Lucky Lady fell silent and Erin stared at her, now feeling incredibly sorry for Mello. He'd listened to his own parents die, barely older than seven, practically a baby. He'd hid underneath a bed while his mother died above him. Jesus Christ, how could Mello wake up every day, knowing the people who killed his family were still out there? No wonder he'd cut Top Cat's head off. She would have done the same thing if someone had killed her family like that.

Now, Lucky Lady began to walk down to the dock where several boats lay glinting in the moonlight. She turned to face Mello and gave him a smile when he walked past Erin to follow her.

"I'd been with Top Cat for twenty years." Lucky Lady said, her voice seeming faraway now. "Twenty years we stuck together, me and him. He'd proposed to me that night." Then, her face contorted into the most terrible expression of rage Erin had ever seen. "But you destroyed my world, and now I'll destroy yours. Maria told me about your little pet. Said you kept your eye on her like a mother hen. Bossed her around, that the two of ya smacked at each other a lot too. At first she'd thought you were related, thought you might be siblings but then she said she saw you kissin' her. Said it wasn't no sibling kiss neither and then I knew how I'd hurt ya. Shame you didn't keep a better eye on her Mello."

Then, Lucky Lady pulled out a small remote with a single red button in the center from the front of her shirt and pointed at the ship closest to the harbor. "You see that boat Mello? That's where your little cookie is." Then she pointed to the button. "And this will bring that ship up in flames."

To Erin's surprise, Mello pocketed his gun and for a brief moment she thought the mafioso was going to say he didn't care if Layla died.

But, the words he spoke brought her even more shock. "Let her go. I'll do what you want. Just let her go."

Lucky Lady smirked even wider now, her face seeming like it was about to gape open. "Give me money." she said acting as if she was about to go back to her car.

"Done." Mello said flatly.

"Give me your influences." she called, now opening the car door and getting inside

"Very well." Mello agreed.

Then she smiled again, pulling the car out slowly, as she yelled out to Mello. "Such a shame you're so merciful like your father. If you had just shot me this wouldn't have happened."

Without warning, there was a loud booming crash and Erin watched horrified as the ship closest to the harbor erupted into flames. The stench of gas was overwhelming, overpowering as Lucky Lady drove away. But Mello paid no attention. Instead he focused intently on the flames his expression oddly anguished.

Erin began to suspect everything he'd ever cared about was now going up in fire, like the burning pit of hell itself.

_**A/N: Don't hate me forever. Seriously. Keep reading. This has a twist ending, so keep reading. I swear to God this has a happy ending. On other note, I really REALLY liked writing Lucky Lady's character and her gratuitous use of Texan slang. Yay Texas. I'm from Texas. I swear I don't talk like that though, but seriously guys keep reading. Don't hate me.**_


	14. Anguish

**Chapter Fourteen** – Anguish

Cupid was born from both the beautiful love goddess Venus, and Mars, the angry God of the warpath. Because of the dual nature of his parentage, the God, Cupid was given two sets of arrows. One of these sets were topped with golden arrowheads and these arrows were said to be fired into the hearts of humans, destined to fall in love with one another, forever. The other set of arrows however were made with arrowheads of lead, doomed to cause intense hatred.

But, even Cupid once fell victim to his own golden arrowheads.

The Greeks had been worshiping a beautiful woman, known to them all as Psyche. And her worship had detracted offerings to Cupid's mother Venus. Angry and jealous, Venus demanded that her son sneak into the beautiful girl's room and stab her with a golden arrow, to make sure she fell for the foulest thing she laid eyes upon.

Late in the night, Cupid snuck into Psyche's chamber and in his haste, scratched himself with the golden arrowhead, falling in love with the girl himself.

At least, that's what they told Erin in her Greek Mythology class. But she'd always wondered, had Cupid's blunder been an accident at all? Or had he considered himself the foulest thing in the room, what with his way of making and breaking hearts like they were brittle chocolate.

She remembered now too, how several of Cupid's victims even tried to deny their love, though the poison of his golden arrows seeped through their veins. Sometimes though, it was said, to amuse himself, the God blindfolded a woman and allowed her to shoot the arrow herself. She would place all her faith and trust on the arrow, and hopefully fire it into the right heart.

Erin herself had never thought of Mello as having the right heart, or having any kind of heart at all with his hatred and bitterness but when she saw the look on his face as the flames licked the sides of the boat, she knew then that there was something there between him and Layla's arrow. He must have tried to deny it, tried not to feel the poison of her love seeping through his veins, but when Layla needed him most Mello would always be there, and that was why she allowed herself to have blind faith in him.

"Mello." Matt's voice was soft, and Erin could feel him move past her.

She wasn't exactly sure if it was Matt's voice, or something inside of Mello's head that spurred him, but almost as soon as Matt spoke, the mafia boss began running and dived off the end of the dock into the black ocean.

"Shit!" Matt snarled, watching Mello swim, frantically, his blond hair reflecting in the light of the moon and from the fire that blazed in front of him.

Then, Matt too was running, diving into that black water. It took him a moment to catch up to the mafioso, but when he did he grabbed at Mello's arm and began pulling him back towards the dock.

The action seemingly angered Mello and he threw several punches in Matt's direction, "Let go of me!" Mello snarled, "Let go you fucking son of a bitch!"

The anguish in his voice was incredibly strong and even Matt faltered for a moment. But he continued dragging Mello through the water. He struggled weakly with the redheaded boy for a moment and Erin saw Mello attempt to throw the boy off but it was useless, only splashing the water around them both.

When they reached the dock, Matt helped his friend up onto the planks before crawling over himself and collapsing.

But, Mello it seemed was not going to give up, he couldn't, it was in his eyes as they focused on the flames that surrounded the boat, resting on the puddles of gas atop the water. He was already on his knees, preparing to fall into that water and try again.

"Mello..." Matt croaked out weakly, obviously exhausted, like any normal person would be from that swim. He snaked out a hand and pushed himself up onto his haunches and suddenly latched his arms around Mello's shoulders, pressing his cheek against the back of the leather jacket.

Mello fought against that too, pushing against Matt's fingers, scraping at them with his gloved hands. He arched his back several times until finally in a moment of anguished desperation Mello was reaching out his hand towards the boat, as if by force of will he could make the flames stop.

"She's gone Mello." Matt said, and Erin noticed that his voice sounded strangely uneven.

"Don't you fucking say that!" Mello snarled, "She isn't. I said...I said she isn't!" he added weakly, reminding Erin of a small child.

"Look at the boat," Matt exclaimed, pointing along with Mello's hand, "S-she couldn't have made it, the flames would have at least stunned her, and if she hit the water she probably wouldn't have been able to swim away fast enough."

Mello's eyes widened, and then he clenched them shut, attempting to shake away the thought. But after a moment, the force of Matt's logic overtook him and he slumped over the redhead's arms. With his cheek pressed against Mello's back Matt rocked him back and forth, attempting to soothe something that was so obviously unfixable.

After a few moments, Erin found that she was crying too. She felt strangely absorbed in this grief that she was so obviously a part of, and apart from.

Moments passed, seeming like hours and Matt finally released his hold on the blond boy. Mello didn't move, still staying crouched over like he was experiencing the worst pain of his life. The redhead tugged at Mello's arm, slinging the boy halfway over his shoulder.

"Mello, come on mate, we have to go home."

"No." Mello said, and Erin was surprised to hear that his tone was strangely devoid of any feeling. "I'm not going."

Matt shot the boy a look, then glanced at Erin before speaking. "Can you get his other arm, please? I know...I know you don't want to help us right now, but I can't get him to the car alone."

Erin nodded curtly, and went to Mello's left side, slinging his other arm over her shoulder so that the weight was more evenly distributed. Mello's eyes focused on her for a moment, but nothing seemed to register in them. He returned his focus to the ground a few moments later and the three of them dragged him to the Ferrari parked on the edge of lot.

"Get in," Matt instructed Erin, "I can get him from here."

Erin slid into the backseat and watched as Matt heaved Mello into the seat. It was strange, Erin thought, watching a man who had mere hours before leapt at her like a lion now become as unmoving as a scared gazelle, no, scared wasn't the right word. It was as if he had been ripped open and now was remaining as still as possible to not allow himself to feel any of the pain. Numb. That's what Mello was, numb.

Matt hoisted Mello into the seat where he buckled the blond boy in and then slipped into the driver's seat and started the car, driving away from the place where they had just lost their friend.

It seemed strange, being around Mello and Matt together and not having Layla around. She'd seemed to provide a feminine air to their group, and while Matt was the voice of reason, Layla had provided to their friendship in her own way too, though Erin wasn't exactly sure how.

Instead, she focused on Mello, and watched as he untangled a red rosary around his neck, squeezing it in his hands as they drove back to the apartment. Erin realized suddenly that Mello had not shed a single tear, not one. The thought suddenly made her angry, as she remembered just a day ago when she had sat outside of the hospital with Layla and listened to her cry.

_She said she'd wait forever to hear Mello say I love you,_ Erin thought suddenly as a fresh onslaught of tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. _Beyond that too..._

And now, she'd never hear it, in fact the last thing Mello did say to her was how she was a moron and he'd leave her. With all of her flaws Layla didn't deserve that from him and here Mello was, acting like he was the victim in all of this.

When they reached the apartment, Erin was already furious with Mello as he slid out of the car. She slammed the back door, perhaps a little rougher than she meant to, and then followed Mello and Matt up to the apartment door.

When Matt opened the door, Mello shook his head.

"What's wrong Mello?" Matt asked gently, looking at the blond through his warm green eyes.

"Can't go in there." Mello said gruffly.

"Why?" Matt asked giving him a quizzical look.

"Because I'll go in there, I'll sit in that bed, and I'll see her everywhere." he whispered, "I'll see the drawings she hasn't finished, the half open carton of cigarettes that won't ever be thrown away. I-I can't. I can't lay in that bed, I can't lay in that bed and smell her on those sheets."

"You bastard!" Erin snarled, and both Mello and Matt looked at her in surprise. "You act like you're the victim, like you're the only one suffering! Think about her! God, you were so mean to her, all the time, and all she ever did was try to love you. You make me sick. You didn't deserve her anyways! Can't you ever think about anyone but yourself? Jesus, the last think you ever said to her-"

"Was that I would leave her." Mello finished bitterly, and Erin was surprised to see his eyes filmed over and shiny. But Mello refused to blink, refusing to let a single tear fall in front of her. "I know exactly what I said Blogger."

He looked at Matt, then turned. "I'll be back later."

Matt, dutiful friend that he was, stepped towards the blond man, "Mello...where are you going?"

"Leave me alone." Mello snapped and Erin watched as his hand went up to wipe at his face which was hidden now from their view.

He began walking his way out of the apartments and when he disappeared from view Matt let out a sigh, "You shouldn't have said that to him."

"Well someone had to!" Erin sniffed, but she was already beginning to feel guilty, "Where do you think he went?"

Matt shrugged and walked inside of the apartment, "To church maybe."

"Church?" Erin asked, unable to imagine the man she considered a monster doing such a thing.

"Sure," Matt said, dropping on the couch and running a hand through his hair, "Someone's got to pray for old Layla's soul right? Considering she ran around saying that she hated organized religion and stuff. Mello's probably going over there to pray for her." then the redhead let out a little chuckle. "Does it all the time, praying for her I mean. I've been to church with him a couple of times."

Then he gave Erin a halfhearted smile, "He's not this monster you keep seeing in your head. He's mean, sure, but he's not a monster. Lemme show you something."

He stood from the couch and disappeared into Mello's bedroom when he came back with a black leather bound book. He rifled through several of the pages until he found the one he was searching for.

"Does that look like a monster to you?" he asked, handing her the book

The drawing was of a much younger Mello, who only looked about ten years old. He smiled brightly into the page and Erin let out a sigh, fingering the pencil. He looked young, a little cheeky but not a monster.

"No..it doesn't...but-"

Matt flipped over to another page and pointed to a sketch in the corner. In this one Mello appeared to be shirtless curled over a pillow, his face half hidden by cloth, this time smiling lazily into the viewer's eyes.

"Or this." Matt said, pointing to the sketch just below it.

Mello appeared to be deep in thought, his crucifix dangling precariously from his lips while the beads were twisted around his hands.

"Okay," Erin said with a sigh, "I get it. I'm sorry."

"Just because you didn't see those different sides of him doesn't mean they aren't there." Matt said firmly. "If you don't believe me, go talk to him in the church."

Erin stood, and Matt picked up the sketchbook, leafing through it as if he were about to cry. "Or you can go home." he said softly, still staring down at the pages. "Mello doesn't care what you do now Erin. I'm sorry for all the trouble we've caused you."

She placed her hand on the doorknob, then opened the door, pausing to look back at Matt.

"Where can I find the church?" she said softly.


	15. Forgiveness

_**A/N: This was such a fun chapter to write, and I think by far my favorite. I've been fantasizing about writing this for weeks now! Sorry if Mello seemed a little overly emotional, and way too talkative but I felt that was the only way Erin could really understand who he was underneath the hard exterior. Also, if anyone is interested, St. Ivo is the patron saint of orphans. I thought it seemed fitting as the name of a church Mello would go to.**_

**Chapter Fifteen** – Forgiveness

Erin had been surprised to discover that the church was merely a few blocks away from the apartments, which had explained why Mello had walked.

It was an old building, and very small. There was peeling white paint on the shutters and several of the roof's silver shingles were missing, especially near the large iron cross that loomed on the tip of the church's single spire.

Yet, even gazing at it from a distance filled Erin with a sense of peace, though it seemed to be falling into small amounts of disrepair. Several vines spiraled up the staircase railings and over a sign that read:

St Ivo's Church

"It is done onto you, as you believe."

-Matthew 9:29

Giving out a small sigh, Erin began walking slowly up the steps where she pushed in the door. The door gave way gently underneath her fingertips and did not creak. The inside of the church was surprisingly empty, faintly lit by a small table near the alter that was covered in prayer candles.

It was here that Mello stood and Erin took a seat on the pew located closest to the door so that the mafioso would not see her.

He picked up a single candle and placed a small coin into the box below before lighting it with the tallest candle in the rows. A faint prayer fell from his lips and he set the candle down again, praying before the group of candlesticks. As he bowed his head, Erin could see the fresh track of tears spilling down his cheeks. More droplets fells from his eyes and hit the fire, making it hiss, but not extinguishing the flames.

Then he moved over slightly to kneel in front of the nearest pew, bowing his head against the wood in front of him. He moved to grope the inside of his jacket where he pulled the rosary free from his neck and tangled it in his hands. His fingers moved along the beads with practiced ease that suggested he had done this many times before tonight. His lips moved along tandem with his fingertips until he reached the fifth bead.

He stopped then, and Erin could see his gloved hands trembling. The convulsing went up his entire body, until a faint whimper escaped his lips.

Poor kid. Erin thought suddenly, then paused. She had never really stopped to consider Mello as a child, but he was. Matt had told her that Mello was only eighteen and a new wave of sympathy washed over her. He shouldn't be getting revenge for his parent's death, he shouldn't be forced to worry about Kira killing him. He was just a little boy, a little boy with some really grown up problems. He should be worrying about dating and college, not being the head of the mafia.

But her thoughts were broken by the words that fell from Mello's lips.

"There...really is no point to this is there?" he said softly, staring up at the alter and statue of Mary behind it. "All this praying, there isn't a point to any of it. You've never answered my prayers, why should you now? You don't care about us. Your lost flock, your black sheep. You never answered my prayers for my father to save my mother."

Once again, Erin was reminded of Lucky Lady's cruel taunt to Mello about his mother's death, was that what he had been doing under the bed? Praying then too?

Now he had moved and was standing in front of the alter, rosary swinging from his hands now as his entire body quaked with what Erin suspected was rage and grief.

"You don't care about Layla." he stated, and his voice shook. "You don't care about her because she didn't love you like I did. But I cared about her more than you ever did. She prayed too, she told me that once, when we were little kids, told me she prayed for her mother to love her and never was that prayer answered. So she stopped. She stopped believing in you, said that you were just an empty building, full of pain and tears. I never stopped believing in you though, I held onto my faith like a drowning man, and she held onto me."

Now he was laughing, and Erin could feel the bitterness in the sound.

"Sometimes, I think she was more my rock then I was hers. She was the one who kept me grounded, told me when I was pushing myself to hard, pushing her too hard. I'm so _weak_." he hissed and Erin watched as his hands reached upwards to pull at the strands of hair, and he let out a strange gagging noise.

He was literally choking on his own tears, choking on his own weakness. Mello dropped to his knees then, and Erin watched his fingers scratch uselessly on the old wooden floors. It was strange, seeing the man she had come to associate with all the sources of pain in her world breaking apart. It was as if with every sentence, layers of him were peeling away, leaving her staring at the broken child who was trapped inside of him.

"I couldn't stay away from her." he whimpered, "I knew I should, but I couldn't. I'd always planned leaving, I'd tell myself that tonight would be the last and when she'd fall asleep I'd pack my things and just get out of her life. But I'd wake up and she'd be sleeping on my chest, snoring against my skin and I just _couldn't_. I would think about stupid shit, dumb reasons she'd need me for another day. I'd think, who will pick up her painting supplies? I know the paint brand she likes and what if Matt gets the wrong kind? I'll have to stay."

Now, he was openly sobbing, shaking and hugging himself while rocking his torso back and forth. It took everything Erin had not to get up from her seat and go hold him herself.

"But fuck!" he groaned, "Why'd you take her like that? S-sh-she must have been absolutely terrified! That's so unfair. God, and the last thing I fucking told her was she was stupid and I was going to leave if she didn't shape up. I never would have left her, ever. Not really. I just talk, I open my mouth and poison comes out. I _am _poison. Everything that I touch dies, suffers. But, I can't just stop. I have to win. I'll do whatever it takes to win."

Erin couldn't stop herself then, rising slowly from the pew she took a few steps towards Mello's crouched form. She wanted to throw herself on him, hold him, tell him he wasn't so alone. God, he was just a kid.

"Mello." she murmured softly.

Mello flew nearly a foot in the air, turning abruptly and nearly falling again when he saw her. He wiped hastily at his nose and eyes before looking at her venomously.

"What the hell do you want?" he growled, his tone feral.

"Mello, I'm sorry." she said, holding out her hands, palms upwards. "I'm sorry about what I said to you before, about not caring."

"I wouldn't expect you to understand." he spat viciously, "You don't know us, you don't know a goddamned thing about me, or her."

"I know." Erin said, making sure to keep her tone kind, even. That was what this kid needed, kindness, confrontations would do nothing at this point. "She loved you," Erin said softly, taking a step forward, "She loved you Mello, and I don't think she doubted you loved her too."

"You don't know anything!" Mello snarled, and Erin could tell he was fighting her words.

"She told me she loved-"

"I know what she told you!" Mello roared, "I was listening before I came outside of the hospital. I know how she feels, felt, ...feels... God."

Tears were beginning to seep down his cheeks again and Erin reached out a hand to touch his arm.

"Don't touch me!" he snapped, then faltered, "God, _please_ don't touch me."

She withdrew her hand and instead sat on the nearest pew. He sat next to her a few moments later, sighing and let out a tiny shudder.

"She was the one who found me." he said after a moment.

"Pardon?" Erin said, glancing at the blond man.

Mello didn't say anything for a moment, just peeled off his leather glove and flexed his hand, fingering the scar with the other hand.

"She found me," he murmured, "After I set off the grenade. She found me, her and Matt. They pulled me out of the wreckage. I don't remember much, just laying in the car with my head in her lap while she held my hand and sang Estonian lullabies to me." he let out a small chuckle, "She has the worst voice imaginable. But it felt good, having her hold my hand. It hurt too."

Mello placed two fingers on a section of the scar on his hand as if to show Erin what he meant. "She was holding my hand, she didn't care if it was bloody or burned. I remember trying to focus on that pain, trying to keep myself alive, to not fall asleep. She and Matt fixed the burns themselves. They were smart enough not to go the hospital, I was a wanted man by then. Matt studied the medical process and Layla did all the work herself. I remember waking up a few times and she'd be sleeping in a chair by the bed. And she was always holding my hand. Ever time I woke up, her hand was right there, squeezing mine.

When I finally came around, saw myself. I panicked a little. I was grateful to be alive. But it was so different, waking up and seeing these massive scars all over you. I lashed out at her, asked her if she couldn't stand the sight of me. She just stared at me, a long time. Said, 'I always thought you were beautiful, Mello.' I thought that was fucking crazy, that she was bullshitting me. But she drew me constantly, was always touching me. She always touched me, we'd be doing something stupid, like grocery shopping and out of nowhere she'd touch me. Put her hand on my face, my neck, my wrist, anywhere she could feel my skin."

Erin stared at Mello's hand which was twitching as if in remembrance to Layla's touches. She was close to tears now, listening to Mello's story. She'd been wrong, thinking Mello didn't know what love was. He did. He just expressed it differently. Those fights hadn't been cruelty, maybe...maybe they were his way of telling Layla he was fighting for her.

Without thinking, Erin reached out and grasped his hand in hers. He seemed surprised by the gesture, and didn't hold her her hand back. But, he didn't pull away either. Erin tried to concentrate on the feeling of his hand, tried to imagine what Layla felt when she did the same thing.

His hand was surprisingly warm and Erin let out a sigh. They felt human enough. The pads of his unscarred fingers were rough, calloused from holding guns and driving. But, the scarred parts of his hand was surprisingly soft, the ridges smooth and easily pliable giving way under the lightest amount of pressure.

Maybe that was why Layla liked touching his hand so much. Mello on the outside was rough, calloused, mean. But, underneath that he was softer than she thought, warm, giving and achingly human.

The barrier between the scarred and unscarred flesh was fascinating too, the way the rough calloused skin suddenly just gave way to soft ridges, became smooth and warm. When she trailed her finger along this barrier Mello jumped and abruptly snatched his hand away.

"Don't." he said sternly. "Only Layla...only Layla can do that."

Then he lay back against the pew, pulling his gloves back on and he let out a small sigh.

"What are you going to do?" Erin asked.

"I'll get rid of Lucky Lady. She can't get away with this. I won't let her get away with this. I'm going to torture her. She's not going to get away with this, killing my family."

From his tone, Erin had a strong sense that Layla was also included in the word family.

He too, seemed to sense the connotation of the word family, and let out a tiny gasp. "I'll need to find her body...she needs to be washed, have funeral rites preformed. I don't care if I have to swim in the water myself. I'll find her."

"But what if she's...you know...burnt?" At the time, the sentence must have seemed callous to Mello, but Erin couldn't help wondering if Mello would be able to handle such a thing.

"I don't give a damn!" Mello snapped, and glared at her, but then his eyes softened minutely when he realized she was only asking out of concern.

"It doesn't matter what state her body's in. What she looks like, burned or not. She's still my Kiska, I have to take care of her. Like... she took care of me." he whispered, fingering his rosary that he had now placed back around his neck.

Then, he stood, and took a small amount of folded twenties out of his breast pocket and tossed them in Erin's lap.

"Go home, Erin Blogger." Mello said softly and she couldn't help but realize it was the first time Mello had ever spoken her first name. "Go home. You don't belong in this world."


	16. Hope

_A/N: Yay! Sorry this chapter took so long to get up and running but I wanted to make sure everything was clear regarding what had really happened to Layla and Lucky Lady's true intentions. But Erin's not out of the flames yet. Hope you enjoy!_

**Chapter Sixteen** – Hope

She'd never really had much experience with death. Sure, Erin's grandfather had died of cancer at age eighty four, when she had just graduated high school, but it had never been like this. It was hard losing her grandfather, and she had been very upset. But, the thing was, he had been ready to go. He was hurting and the process of his death was slow and if she remembered correctly more painful than his actual death was.

But this was different. Layla hadn't been ready to go. Mello hadn't been ready to let her go. She had been taken from them, stolen.

Erin had looked at the money Mello gave her, and had only been able to say one thing, "Are you sure you want me to go?"

He'd smirked at her a little, but it seemed sadder, a little more empty. "There's nothing here for you. There's nothing here for anyone."

Mello had called a taxi for her on his cell phone, and Erin had waited outside with him. Surprisingly, it had begun to rain and Mello had pulled up the hood of his fluffy jacket, not saying anything as the rain splashed on his cheeks, looking suspiciously like teardrops.

When the yellow car had arrived she bit back the urge to wrap Mello in a bear hug. He'd looked so sad, watching her as the car had pulled up. But, what did you say to someone who had held you hostage for nothing? She turned, opening her mouth to tell him something, goodbye, sorry, anything. But he had already turned his back to her, walking down the street, splashing puddles with his boots.

Now, she sat in the car, watching the little dial for the price go up slowly, forty five cents, forty six, forty seven. She was going home. That thought should have held some comfort, but it did nothing for Erin. All she could think about was Mello looking at her with his sad eyes, the way Matt had held her in a hug when she had attempted to run from them, the way Mika had ruffled her hair, barely knowing anything about her.

Mika. How would he react? Learning his little sister had died because of Mello's failure. Her death would always be Mello's failure. But, who had Mello truly failed, Layla, Mika, or himself?

She remembered now too, the way Mello had grasped at Layla's hand in the car, the way he gave her his jacket for warmth, that soft kiss. Just like his scar, that had showed the man Mello truly was. Hard, a little rough on the outside, but gruffly caring and giving when he could.

Erin felt badly for her thoughts against him now, the way she had hoped he would die, how she had hated him. She didn't hate him anymore, just felt a strange mix of pity and odd indifference. Mello, like everyone else in the world was a victim of his own circumstances.

"Eh, sorry lassie!" the Irish cabdriver said, breaking her out of her thoughts, "This actually isn't my car, so the air conditioning doesn't work. Got in the wrong one, you believe that?"

"Huh, oh yeah?" Erin said, staring blankly out the window.

"Yep." he said.

But Erin wasn't listening, what was it that Mello had said when they took Layla, what had his lackey said to him over the phone?

The cabdriver had now turned on the radio and was singing along with some pop song. Christ, what had Mello said to Matt after the phone call had ended? She covered her ears and shut her eyes, trying to remember the conversation.

Mello had gotten into the car, had promptly answered the phone, and told the guy he'd deal with things alone.

She squeezed her eyes shut tighter and tried to put herself in that exact same position again.

_"Well," Matt said anxiously, "What's her status?"_

_ "Alive." Mello said, his tone clipped. "He said he saw her being put on one of the boats in the Los Angeles harbor, but..." _

Then her memory went blank, but what?

There was something important in that sentence, something...something.

_"Alive." Mello said, his tone clipped. "He said he saw her being put on one of the boats in the Los Angeles harbor, but he can't get to her yet."_

No, no, that wasn't it. He'd said he was going to deal with the problem alone. He didn't want the guy to take any action, Christ, what had he said?

Something, something about being, worst? No, no, but now she was sure it was a word with a W. She filed quickly through her list of words trying to remember.

Worst.

Worry.

Wart.

Wretched.

Wreck.

Waiting.

Which ...Was that it? Which?

Then, she remembered Mello's statement so quickly she feared her heart would stop.

_"Well," Matt said anxiously, "what's her status?"_

_ "Alive." Mello said, his tone clipped. "He said he saw her being put on one of the boats in the Los Angeles harbor, but there were so many of them that he couldn't see which one she was on."_

_ "...couldn't see which one she was on."_

The words echoed in her brain.

Could there still be a chance? Could Lucky Lady have tricked Mello into thinking his girlfriend was dead, she'd tricked him once already with Erin and Mello had been thinking rationally. When Layla had been taken he was emotionally compromising.

She knew from her experience as a reporter that security had videotapes of the harbor's boat dock to make sure no cargo had been left behind. She'd once given an interview to a man who'd owned a boat there and he had shown her exactly where the security tapes were kept and watched.

He'd been kind enough to give her a souvenir, a key to the security tape room in case she ever wanted to check things out. It probably wasn't protocol but in all honesty she'd suspected the guy had too much whiskey that day.

Before she had left to follow Mello to the church, Matt had given her a small satchel of all the objects that had been in her pockets before Mello had made her strip when they'd first taken her hostage.

That key had just happened to be in her pocket at that time

She fished it out of the satchel attached to her wrist, nearly kissing the golden metal, before rapidly tapping the cabdriver on the back.

"So easy to disturb, with thought, with a whisper. With a careless memo-" He stopped his singing to look questioningly at Erin, "Sorry, my singing getting to you?"

She shook her head, "No no, can you take me to the harbor?"

"Eh? The harbor, why?"

"I was out with my friends and I left my jacket." she lied easily and watched the irish man chuckle.

"Tell you what, I'm feeling nice today, so sure."

"Thank you so much!" Erin said nearly giving this man a hug.

It was a leap, that was for certain, but there was a chance that Layla could still be alive, however small. And even Mello, with all his flaws didn't deserve to be tricked into thinking his girlfriend was dead, no one, no matter how bad, deserved that.

When they arrived at the harbor, Erin asked for the cabdriver to wait for her.

"Sure," he said kindly, then took notice of the smoke that still lingered in the air from earlier. "You be careful little lassie. There must have been some kind of explosion judging by the size of that smoke."

_Dude, you have no idea_. Erin thought as she strode towards the security room.

Thankfully the key slid into the door easily and Erin pushed the door open.

Unsurprisingly, the security room was empty, a simple desk and a few television sets showing the current activity going on the harbor.

She spotted the camera now showing the smoking remains of the boat that Lucky Lady had told Mello Layla had been on.

"God, please don't let her be dead." Erin begged quietly, stopping the recording and beginning to rewind the tape.

She watched the previous events of the evening unfold backwards until she finally saw Lucky Lady guiding Layla out of a car.

She pressed the play button and watched carefully

Layla must have come to after being hit when they had come into the apartment, because she was certainly giving them a struggle. She hit and her mouth moved rapidly to what Erin assumed were swears.

When two of the men had finally restrained her, Lucky Lady stood in front of her, obviously giving Layla some kind of speech. After she had finished, Layla had done the same thing she'd done with Mello, spit.

Lucky Lady however seemed unperturbed and led Layla to another boat, a separate boat, a boat several feet behind the harbor. Speeding up the tape, Erin watched as the first boat exploded, and the boat Layla was on remain floating unharmed.

Jesus Christ. She was still alive.

She had to tell Mello, Matt, someone.

She snatched the tape from the recorder and clutched it, nearly running outside to where the cab driver was waiting impatiently, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

"You find your jacket?" he called.

"Oh," she said, getting into the car, "I couldn't find it."

"Oh, shame, so where to now?"

She gave him the directions back to Mello and Layla's home and waited impatiently to pull back into the apartment.

Layla was alive, as much as Erin knew anyways, and knowing Lucky Lady, how long would she be kept alive? Mello would save her, that much was promised. She knew now that Mello would not leave Layla to fend for herself if she was alive.

When they reached the apartment Erin tossed the cabdriver all the money Mello had given her and practically ran to the apartment, clutching the tape firmly in her hands.

"Mello! Matt!" she screamed, banging her fists on the door.

Matt opened the door, looking perturbed. He was talking quietly on the telephone and tear tracks were streaming down his cheeks.

"Yeah, sorry Mika...hang on a minute. Erin's at the door."

He cupped a hand over the phone and spoke softly. "Jesus Erin, what the hell are you doing here? I...I...have to tell Mika what happened to Layla..."

She could hear the soft sound of Mika's voice now, slightly muffled by Matt's palm. "Mattie, what on earth is going on? Is Layla alright?"

Without thinking Erin snatched the phone from Matt's hand, ignoring his disgruntled 'Hey!'

"Hi Mika!" she said with fake cheerfulness, "Layla's just on a pleasure cruise! Matt just wanted to tell you that in a few days you two can go out on a date or something."

Mika's voice sounded relieved now, "Oh...oh, yeah. Sure. Whatever he would like."

When she hung up the phone, Matt was looking at her apparently very disgruntled. "Mello told me you were going home. Erin...I have to tell Mika his sister's dead. Do you have any idea how fucking hard this is going to be for us?"

"But she's not dead!" Erin said excitedly.

Now, Matt seemed weary. "Erin, we saw the boat explode..."

She said nothing, merely handed him the tape. "She's not dead. Lucky Lady put her on a separate boat. She's fucking with Mello's head. She wants him to suffer, mentally, while Layla's still alive.

Wordlessly Matt took the videotape and placed the tape in a player that sat on top of the television. Erin moved past him and rewinded the tape to the scene where Layla was shown boarding a separate boat.

Now Matt looked angry, "That bitch..." he swore. "She's fucking with us, Erin, was the boat Layla was on at the harbor when you went?"

Erin thought back to when she was at the harbor and shook her head. "No, but...where would Layla be now?"

Matt too, appeared thoughtful, "Well, if I were to make an educated guess, to throw us off her trail, I'd guess Lucky Lady would take Layla off that boat and back to their hideout. But...she probably sent the boat off on its scheduled route.

Now, he froze. "Oh my god."

"What?" Erin said, she had expected Matt to be happy, excited, but now he looked quite troubled.

"When Mello came back here, he tracked down Lucky Lady's hideout. He said he was going to handle it himself."

Erin's mind suddenly went to the grenade in Mello's car.

"Matt! Mello has a grenade in his car." she said, her tone panicky.

"I know." Matt said, "Erin, when he was burned, he sustained some really bad injuries, he nearly died. If he sets off a grenade again he'd probably die...and if Layla's with Lucky Lady she'll die too. That's what Lucky wants. She wants Mello to be responsible for both Layla's death, and his own. Fucking bitch. Mello's so predictable. His little stunt with the grenade is well known in the underground world."

"We have to stop this." Erin said, her voice wavering with determination. "We have to help Mello."


	17. Madness

_**A/N: Gosh, I can't believe there's only one more chapter left before this story is completed. It almost makes me a little sad to not have Erin to write about, she's such a wonderful character and she sees things so greatly. Expect the last chapter to be out sometime next week. Also, I hope none of you get too disturbed by Mello's obvious madness in this chapter.**_

**Chapter Seventeen** - Madness

Matt was a fast driver, something that didn't entirely surprise Erin, but it didn't stop her from feeling slightly nauseous every time she glanced outside of the window and saw them moving past cars in a blur.

Matt seemed panicky now, taking short puffs of his cigarette every few seconds. She couldn't really blame him. If Mello did set off the grenade, there was a very distinct possibility that both of his friends could die.

Was Mello suicidal? Was he willing to die because he believed Layla had gone from him?

"Matt," she said tentatively.

"Yep?" he said, not really looking at her, and instead studying the map he had printed out and taped to the dashboard. Mello thankfully had left it up onto the computer when Matt had rushed to find Lucky Lady's whereabouts.

"Is...is Mello trying to kill himself?"

Matt nearly dropped his cigarette in surprise, before blinking at her owlishly. "Mello's insane, no arguments there, but Mello's got big plans for his life, with or without Layla and I. He's not killing himself before he gets to take over the world.

"Is that what he wants, to take over the world?" Erin asked.

Matt shrugged his shoulders as he drove, thankfully slowing down his speed a small amount. The talking seemed to keep him calmer, and for that, Erin was grateful.

"I don't know." he said after a moment "He keeps Layla and I in the dark about a lot of things, Layla more than me. I'm really just Mello's friend, and I help when I can, but Layla and I aren't really allowed to know much about his plans."

"Why?"

"Because," Matt sighed, "Layla's an idiot. Don't get me wrong, she's my friend. But compared to Mello, she's a moron. She's very pushy. How many times did you see them start fighting because Layla couldn't shut her mouth? And as for me, he knows I'd probably try dissuade him from whatever plans he had."

That was true. Erin recalled when she had watched them argue outside of the hospital, the way Layla had seemingly pestered Mello for fun. And Matt, Matt often seemed the voice of reason in both Mello and Layla's life. The one who stopped them when they were getting too far gone.

"Anyway," he continued, breaking Erin out of her thoughts. " Layla's not too bright. That's why she and Mello fight so much."

Erin wrinkled her nose in distaste, "Jeez, what an ass. If Layla's so stupid why doesn't he just get with some smart girl?"

To her surprise Matt chuckled a little. "No no, Mello likes things that way. Think about it, Erin. The stupider his girlfriend is, the less likely she is to question him. He hates anyone being his equal in anything. He's insecure deep down."

"But Layla questioned him about me. And she's constantly ignoring his orders." she retorted, not really for the sake of conversation but to keep Matt relaxed. She focused her eyes on the speed of the car, breathing out when it reached a safe, and legal limit.

"If something bothers her enough, morally, she'll stand up to him. As for the ignoring his orders, she just doesn't take things seriously enough."

Erin sighed and leaned back against the seat. "When I followed him to the church, he was upset. He was crying."

Matt shrugged and focused intently on the road as he extinguished a cigarette, "Even he cries sometimes. I've only seen him cry twice. He tries to hide his feelings behind a lot of anger, but he does care."

"He...they...they are in love, aren't they?" she said softly, recalling the way that Mello had told her about Layla bandaging his scars, how she had told Mello he was beautiful. The kiss too, the way Mello had touched her cheek and pressed his lips so lightly on her own.

Matt nodded, "I think so, at any rate, if we don't hurry, Mello will end up killing her."

The redhead continued his speeded driving, occasionally glancing down at the map that would lead to Lucky Lady's hideout, surprisingly hidden in a meat warehouse that had been turned into a nightclub.

They soon found this warehouse after approximately thirty minutes of driving and Matt winced when he saw the signs of Mello's boot being shoved through the door as they pulled up.

As he and Erin got out of the car, the nightclub was suspiciously silent. Several expensive cars were parked up front and a few feet away was Mello's Ferrari. She jogged away from Layla's Corvette, and peered into the back of the Ferrari's tinted windows.

As she had feared, the back compartment that had housed the grenade was opened and the grenade, gone.

"He's got the grenade with him!" Erin screeched, nearly preparing to launch herself into the building, but Matt stopped her, throwing out his arm.

To her surprise, he pulled out a small revolver from his belt. "Mello gave this to me. I'm not supposed to use it unless I'm in danger. I'm not sure what's going to be waiting for us inside. Stick by me and keep quiet.

With the gun nearly shaking in his palm, Erin began following him inside the warehouse.

As she expected, it was dark and oddly empty. There were no signs of life, no dancing no people, just a vast blackness, the only light coming from Matt's lighter as he waved it around the room.

"Uh, Mello?" he whispered quietly, "You around here, mate?"

There were no noises in reply, and Matt suddenly grasped at Erin's hand. "Come on. He can't be far."

"What if she killed him?"

"She hasn't." Matt said, "Her biggest satisfaction is seeing Mello destroy himself."

The two of them made their way down a dark hallway, and suddenly Erin stopped, placing a palm flat on Matt's chest.

"Shh." she said softly. "Listen."

Down the corridor, the was the soft sound Mello's voice. It wasn't clear, and Erin couldn't make out what he saying, only that silky smooth sound that had haunted her since she had first met him.

Matt heard it too, and with the light of the candle reflected on his face, Erin could see the sheer panic flooding his eyes.

He began running, Erin's hand clasped in his own. Her heart was slamming in her throat as they followed the sound of Mello's voice.

Now, it seemed as if his voice was getting stronger and Erin could make out some of the things he was saying.

_"...Killed her,"_

Her heart throbbed in her chest, Mello was going to set off that grenade, what was it Layla had said? Revenge was the greatest motivation? Wasn't that so true in Mello's life?

Then, there was an anguished scream, a woman's.

_ "You'll burn for this...I'll make sure of it."_

"Mello no!" Matt yelled, suddenly skidding to throw open one of the doors.

Sure enough, Mello stood above Lucky Lady who had been tied at Mello's feet. Oddly, the sound of the door crashing did nothing to Mello. Erin wasn't sure if he'd actually heard it at all. His eyes were opened widely, his pupils mere dots in ice. The only sound in the room was the sickening sound of something dripping.

Erin's gaze trailed down to Mello's hand, which seemed to be coated in blood. It dripped slowly to the concrete floor, hanging in strings off his fingertips. A knife wavered in his grasp and suddenly Erin felt bile rise up in her stomach.

Was that his blood?

But then her gaze shifted to Lucky Lady, and she realized exactly where all the blood had come from. Mello had cut a thin line, over Lucky Lady's nose and cheeks, a mock parody of Layla's scar.

Her fingers twitched madly and she curled into a ball, screaming out swears.

Mello merely cocked his head, his mouth twitching into a sickening grin. "It hurts, doesn't it?" he asked, kneeling down at eye level with her.

"I remember when those men did that to Layla. She never made a noise. She's better than you. Stronger. You're just a weak bitch."

Then, Mello slipped his clean hand into his pocket to pull out what Erin recognized as the grenade from his car.

He grabbed her head, and using the blade of the knife, he forced her lips to part. Then, Mello forcibly shoved the small cylinder into her mouth.

"You open your mouth, bitch." he stated. "You and I both know you want to die."

His thumb lovingly caressed the small button on the top of the grenade.

Suddenly, Erin spurred into action. Matt seemed frozen by Mello's violence and she rushed past him, ignoring the way he tried to reach for her.

With a power she didn't know she had, Erin wrestled the blond teen to the ground.

"Mello this isn't the answer! This isn't going to solve anything!"

Sanity, suddenly returned to Mello's eyes, widening in shock and then vicious anger.

"Blogger!" he spat, struggling to push her off of him while she wrestled the knife from his fingers. "I thought you were going home! This isn't your problem! Let me finish what she started! I deserve my revenge!"

With the full force in her body, Erin suddenly slapped Mello with her hand. It was as if all her anger, all her hate, all her pity was being delivered through her palm against Mello's cheek.

His head fell to the side dramatically, and his eyes shifted to gaze at her.

In a tone that seemed almost weary, he spoke, "I'm listening."

"Mello." she said, leaning off of him and pausing to catch her breath. "She's alive. Layla's still alive.

Mello's eyes widened more and he spoke softly, seeming confused. "Layla...alive."

"Yes!" Erin said excitedly.

At first, it appeared as if Mello did not believe her, for his brows turned inward with anger. "That's impossible. I saw the boat explode."

"She was on another boat!" Erin said, "When I got out of the church, I went to look at the harbor's security tapes. I saw her on another boat. I showed them to Matt too, right Matt?" she said looking back at the redheaded teen.

He was staring instead at Lucky Lady, his mouth turned in disgust. Then, he jerked himself out of his reverie. "Yeah. She's alive Mello. Lucky Lady wanted you to set off that grenade. She wanted you to kill both yourself, and Layla."

Now, Mello's face seemed to pass through several emotions at once. First relief, then understanding, then anger, before settling on his usual mug of cold indifference.

"I wouldn't have died." he sneered arrogantly, "The blast wouldn't have killed me. I still have things to do."


	18. Completion

**Chapter Eighteen** – Completion

_In a silver chain  
Of evening rain,  
Unravelled from the tumbling main,  
And threading the eye of a yellow star  
So many times do I love again._

_**-Thomas Lovell Beddoes**_

_When love is not madness, it is not love. **-Pedro Calderon de la Barca**_

It seemed strange to Erin how Mello's emotions could shift and fluctuate like the tide. Often, he kept his body calm, never outwardly displaying anything. But, it was said that the eyes were the windows to the soul.

It was especially true in Mello's case now when he gazed down at Lucky Lady who lay writhing in agony on the cold concrete floor, a puddle of blood now spilling out over her face. His eyes had narrowed to mere slits and with a sudden ferocity aimed a kick directly at the woman, digging his boot into her side.

"Worthless." he snapped, spitting mere inches away from her face. "You are nothing. _Ubiĭtsa_."

With a slow kind of deliberation, Mello pulled his grenade from the woman's lips, smiling lightly when she glared at him.

Then, a low cackle slipped from her lips.

"You'll get yours soon, mafia prince." she spat. "You'll be engulfed in flames. You're no better than me. You and I, we do the same things."

Mello's eyes shifted to where both Erin and Matt stood and with a cold sigh, he pocketed the grenade again.

"Get out." he said quietly.

Both she, and Matt glanced at each other and a sudden spark of clarity revealed to Erin what Mello had planned. He would kill Lucky Lady without batting an eye.

"Mello!" Erin said frantically, "What are you going to do? Killing her won't help anything. We should let the police handle this."

Mello's face suddenly contorted in rage, "Blogger what the hell am I going to say? It's code, you live in the mafia, and you'll die in the mafia."

"Just leave her then!" she pleaded, "Layla's alive, what more do you want?"

"She killed my family!" Mello spat viciously, "Do you have any idea what that's like? Do you? I listened to my mother die above my head and watched my father bleed to death. She's made me think the only person I had left was dead too. I was merciful, Top Cat was the only one I wanted. I killed him and left her to live. I will not make that mistake again."

"So you think killing her will ease your pain?" Erin exclaimed, looking quite troubled. "Mello, even if you kill her, you will never bring back your mother!"

"Then I'll keep her from destroying someone else's mother." He shot Matt a pleading look, "Please, can you both just go?"

Wordlessly, Matt dragged Erin out the door. She shot Mello one last, pleading look before allowing Matt to shut the door behind her.

The goggled boy seemed oddly unperturbed by Mello's display of violence. He fished a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it, inhaling deeply.

His casualty towards the event made her angry. "How can you obey him like that?" she spat. "He's about to take someone's life!"

Matt pulled the cigarette free from his lips, then shot her a look that seemed to be a mixture of both pity and sadness.

"He's done it before."

Fierce anger boiled in her chest. "Oh, so I guess that makes it okay? He's killed someone before, so it's okay to do it again?"

"Erin," he muttered, taking another drag off the cigarette. "Look, this is bigger than you. I keep trying to tell you that. You saw what happened at the house, you saw that Lucky Lady was framing you, you saw what she did to that Maria girl and her brother."

"Still!" she said, "I don't want her to die, I don't want anyone to die."

He inclined his head towards her, "Mello doesn't either."

"Then why is he killing her?"

"Look, Erin...Mello's dad was a huge mafia boss in Russia. They called him the "Mafia King" But, he was honorable to an extent, lent money to the poor, protected those who needed it. I mean, he even lent my parents money once before they croaked. Lucky Lady and Top Cat killed Mello's parents because Mello's father refused to sell drugs in Russia.

Top Cat and Lucky Lady play dirty. They have no honor regarding mafia code, Mello's father would have never let someone like that walk the streets."

"That's no excuse..." Erin said softly, letting out a small sigh.

"Well," Matt said after a moment, "There's nothing you, or I can do about it now. The mafia has a strict code. People like Mello are born in it, and they'll die in it as well."

The room fell quiet, and Erin let out a shuddering sigh. Mello had been born into a world of death and hatred, and nothing could pry him from it. It hung over him like a shroud.

A moment later, the blond man stepped out from the door and she suppressed a shudder. He did not meet either Matt's eyes or her own.

"Layla's alive?" he said after a moment, seeming almost desperate to break the silence.

"Y-yeah." she replied.

"Where is she?"

Erin faltered, "...I don't know."

Now, Mello looked quite perplexed, "You don't know?"

Erin shook her head, locks of hair fluttering around her face. "No. I only saw the footage from the harbor, it didn't show where Layla was going afterwards."

"God damn it!" Mello swore, moving to kick the door roughly with his boot. "God damn it. I've got to find her."

"She's probably still here." Matt chimed in suddenly. "No way Lucky Lady would have killed her after you already think she's dead..."

"Then...then we start looking. Split up." Mello replied.

"What about light?" Matt asked, "It's dark here, except for the flashlight and the room you were in."

Wordlessly, Mello fished out three keychain flashlights and handed one to both Erin and Matt, "Now, start looking."

The three of them ran off in separate directions, and Erin began examining every nook and cranny of the nightclub, calling Layla's name periodically as loud as she could.

The nightclub was surprisingly slick and clean, with several alternate doors that led to empty rooms or were just filled with boxes. Probably Lucky Lady's drug collections or something else Erin had no interest in.

After walking around the nightclub for what seemed like hours, Erin was beginning to suspect that Lucky Lady really had killed Layla out of pure spite.

"Lay-Layla! Goddamn it! Where are you?" she called horsely, waving the small flashlight in every corner.

Nothing, just silence.

Then, a tiny cough erupted from behind a pile of boxes.

"Layla?" she called, swiveling around to the direction of the noise. She rushed to the noise, and surprisingly found Layla tied, her mouth bound with a bandana.

Crawling down, Erin pulled her mouth free from the cloth and wrapped the girl in a hug.

"Oh, god, Layla...we...we thought you died!" Tears were now beginning to seep from her eyes, spilling out onto the brown of Layla's hair.

"Erin, calm down." Layla murmured, her voice soft. "Is...is Mello okay?"

_Even while tied up she's worried about that damned kid._ Erin thought, letting out a small sigh.

"He's fine." Erin said gently, not wanting to worry Layla further. "Are you hurt?"

Layla shook her head, "No, I'll be okay...where's Lucky Lady?"

At the mention of the mafia woman's name Erin's throat tightened considerably.

"Dead." she said, her voice thick.

Layla's brow furrowed as Erin spoke, and a sudden sharp understanding passed through the two of them.

"Oh." Layla said softly as Erin finished untying her hands. "Mello...killed her, didn't he?"

She gave the Estonian woman a curt nod, then shuddered.

Her fingers suddenly found Erin's shoulders in the dimness of the flashlight.

"It's what had to be done."

How could both Matt and Layla say that? How could they both feel that taking a life in such a manner was a necessary evil? Once again, Erin was struck with the idea that all of them, even Lucky Lady were just victims of circumstance.

"Come on," Layla said once she had untied her feet and stood. "We should find the others."

The two women made their way out of the room, Erin's small flashlight lighting their path.

Erin called Mello's name several times until seemingly by accident, Matt ran into her, nearly knocking her off her feet.

"Oh, sorry." he said after a moment, helping Erin to her feet, "Any luck finding-" then his eyes caught sight of Layla.

Wordlessly the goggled man rushed forward, sweeping the young girl into a bone crushing hug.

"We were so worried!" he said, breathlessly. "I don't know how we'd survive without you. Mello...oh god, Layla...he was beside himself with worry."

Though she had not seemed particularly emotional in front of Erin, now at the sight of Matt small tears were beginning to spill down her cheeks. Erin suspected that the tears might not have been just because of Matt but the mention that Mello was worried for her.

"Come on," Matt said, once he had finished hugging his friend, "Mello's down here."

He led the two girls down the darkened hallway and past several doors until Erin caught sight of Mello's blond hair glinting in the light.

"Mello," Matt said suddenly, making Mello's head whip in their direction, "We found her."

Mello's bright blue eyes flickered past both Matt's and Erin's faces until they settled on Layla, who was sheepishly looking down at her hands. She seemed unable to raise her head up to gaze at him.

Mello's eyes softened at the sight of her. It seemed strange, as if watching ice melt, with the way his face seemingly relaxed.

In an instant, he was pulling Layla against him, running his hands through her hair. He seemed oddly stiff and silent however, his face strangely passive. He would never show his worry to her, it would remain, a secret between both Erin and Mello.

He pulled away from her, pulling off his fur lined coat and wrapping it tightly about her shoulders.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

Layla sniffled slightly and nodded, wiping away at tears that were crawling down her cheeks.

"Good." Mello said, "We'll go home."

The four of them made their way out of the treacherous nightclub. Mello's arm was wrapped tightly about Layla's shoulders and Erin wondered if he would ever tell her how much she really meant to him.

Perhaps it was like Layla had said, Mello would tell her when the time came, when she was ready to know.

Mello was once again, in control of things as usual. He called someone to pick up Layla's car that she and Matt had driven in, and they all squished into Mello's car.

When they were in Mello's car, Layla snoozing quietly underneath Mello's coat, Erin noticed that they weren't heading in the usual direction to the apartment. Instead, they were turning down an unfamiliar path, somewhere she didn't exactly recognize.

"Guys?" she said softly "Where are we going?"

"Your apartment." Mello said shortly biting into his chocolate with a snap. "Since you're of no use to us."

Excitement welled up in Erin's chest. She'd get to see her family again, get a chance to write. And yet, even with the knowledge she was going home, she felt a strange twinge of sadness. She'd miss them, her friends.

They were all friends now after all, even Mello, he was decent, in his own right.

When they finally arrived at her apartment, Erin had a hard time forcing herself to get out of the car. She almost didn't want to leave them.

She slid out of the car carefully, glancing back at Mello who

Matt stood outside of her door, fishing in his pocket to hand her the key.

Tears were beginning to well at the edge of Erin's eyes again and she wrapped the red haired man in a hug.

"You...you watch out for yourself okay?" she sniffled, "I won't tell the police..."

Matt did not hesitate to pull her into a hug. "We know. We should...I don't know, get a shake sometime. We'll know where to find you."

Erin smiled and nodded. "I'd enjoy that a lot Matt. Thank you."

The redhead nodded, "No problem. Anytime you need to be dragged away from your home, you know who to call."

The two of them laughed, and Erin looked back at the car, "Mello's not coming?"

Matt offered her an easy smile and shrugged, "He's not good with saying goodbye. To be honest, I think he feels a bit guilty for involving you in all of this."

She gave the redheaded man one last, final hug before watching him disappear in Mello's Ferrari.

Wordlessly, she opened the door to her apartment and was relieved to find it exactly the way it had been left. She was home again, back in the world she belonged to.

Although Mello had not come to tell her goodbye, Erin found his presence in her life periodically. When she had gone back to her landlord to pay the fee for her missing month of rent, the man had told Erin that someone else had already paid a year's worth of rent.

She had been flabbergasted and had demanded to know who had done the strange act of kindness.

Her landlord had simply shrugged, and had given her a description of a blond young man with a scar on his face.

Strangely, Mello's acts of generosity did not stop there. He often mailed her information on scandals and drug busts, obviously having men involved in these things. It was because of this information too, that Erin was able to keep her job at the LA Sun as a reporter.

In the most strange way of all, Erin even owed Mello for somehow introducing her to a new beau. She had stopped at the bookstore one evening to pick up, of all things, a copy of _Lolita_. She had been quite curious to know why Mello had put so much stock into the seemingly odd book. She found the tale less about pedophilia and more about the want of something or someone, forbidden. A concept that Mello was all too familiar with.

Erin had been so engrossed in her book, that she hadn't even realized she'd walked into someone.

The man's name was Stephen Loud. To be truthful, Stephen was everything Mello was not, kind, gentle, and above all exceedingly patient and fun. Privately, Erin adored him, although a vague sense of bravado kept her from admitting her feelings, at first.

Yet, she found herself understanding Layla's desperate loyalty, the way a single word from Mello would make her face light up. Those hot, forbidden kisses strangely like the one she had witnessed. Kisses that stuck her feet to the floor.

Stephen leaned over, and placed a delicate kiss on Erin's cheek as they lounged lazily on the couch.

A movie was on the television, The Godfather. Every so often, Erin would giggle at the sight of the debonair mafia boss, privately relishing the idea of Mello being this character.

When Stephen's fingers tangled in her hair, Erin smiled softly, almost seeming a little shy as she leaned against his chest, the thick smell of pine enveloping her nose.

"You know," Stephen said, "I've been thinking..."

"Always a dangerous pastime." she countered teasingly.

"I know," he said gently, "But being with you, is like being shot with Cupid's Arrow, and being overjoyed every single time it hits."

She couldn't help but wonder if at that exact moment, a young blond man was thinking the very same thing about someone else.

_**A/N: So it's finally finished. I'm so sorry it took so long to get this last chapter up. To be truthful, I hadn't wanted the story to end, I wanted to write it forever. But, at the same time, I'm glad it's over too. I'm going to be finishing up The Dark Hour as well so stay tuned for that. **_

_**Huge thank you's go out to WhiteLadyDragon, who really helped me set this story in motion and allowed me the use of her wonderful character Erin. I appreciate your input more than you know. I'd also like to thank Sepsis and anyone else who reviews all my little stories. I love getting them, they truly make my day. **_

_** And most of all, thanks to you who has finished this entire story. I hope you read more of my work and constantly fill me with inspiration.**_

_**-I.M. Elizabeth**_


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